The Fate Of Two Lost Souls
by Xerozzuro
Summary: Alex Walker lives a good life. He has loving and rich parents, good friends and a promising future ahead of him. Yet, the one thing he wishes for in his life is excitement. Something extraordinary that would make his life much more interesting. Little did he know that fate already has lots of surprises in store for him... Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! I welcome all of you readers, that decided to check out my first ever Pokémon story!  
Let's start with the most basic things – My name is Xerozzuro, but I call myself Xeroz. You guys call me however you like! I'm a beginner writer in the world of fan fiction and I try my best to write my stories as enjoyable as possible. **

**Up to this point, I was writing High School DxD fan fictions only, but due to my best friend's influence, I came back into Pokémon a while ago. I quickly caught up to the things that I have forgotten and learned some new things along the way. My love for Pokémon returned as well.**

 **Now, due to the fact that I was so far behind there is still an enormous amount of stuff that I have yet to learn and master, so this story will probably have** _ **lots**_ **of differences when it comes to both the games and the anime.**

 **I had some ideas in my mind and I wanted a ground to test them out on. Pokémon would be a perfect ground for it, that's what I thought. Thus, I began writing this story.**

 **And here I am! I won't spoil you guys what the story is about** _ **yet**_ **, but do not hesitate to read further and find out!  
I'll get one thing out of the way right here though: This is not an average Pokémon story! In fact, the Pokémon and the world of Pokémon is not the main focus here. Far from it actually. How so? Read and find out.**

 **Another thing worth mentioning: This is a 'Human OC x Pokémon' fic, so if you're not fan of these kind of stories you can always leave. If you decide to stay and see what happens though, I welcome you with open arms!**

 **I think that's it about introductions! It was longer than I expected, sorry about that, I tend to make the A/Ns long… Please bear with me.**

 **Without further ado, let's jump right into the story!**

* * *

 _ **Legend:**_

"Speech"

 _'Thought'_

 _[Mind link]_

 _"_ _ **Pokéspeech"**_

 _:Phone calls:_

 _"_ _ **Unknown**_ _ **"**_

 ***Action, Background action***

(Author remarks, rant, whatever)

 _{[Flashback/Start/End]}_

{[Scene Break/Start/End]}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Pokémon or its characters.** **It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **More Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own any of the games, companies, websites, etc. mentioned through this story. Their sole purpose in this story is to add some detail.** **All the rights go to their respective owners.**

 **I** _ **do**_ **claim ownership of my OCs and plot of this story however, as well as the story itself.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

{[Scene Start]}

The beauty and calmness of the night may charm lots of people. Although dark and somewhat cold, the night is beautiful. Night makes you feel like the whole world is at peace and it would remain that way for as long as possible.

That night however… That night was not as such.

Various sounds rang through a forest near a small town.

Sounds of irregular and fast breathing. Sounds of distant and panicked running. Sounds of a prey being chased by predators.

She was running as fast as her legs could. She was cut, wounded, even burned at one place. She was scared. Very scared. How did she end up like this? She didn't know either.

As night fell, she was just looking for a shelter, when a huge pack of Houndoom appeared before her. They looked hungry. They were coming closer and closer and she just knew that she was in a very bad situation.

The Houndoom pack attacked her. They managed to bite her and scratch her with their claws. One of them even managed to burn her arm. She was defenseless as she wasn't used to fighting. So she did the only thing that seemed right to her – She decided to run.

Her adrenaline and fear were aiding her while running, but her body was at the verge of giving up. She felt much heavier, she had troubles breathing and every part of her was burning.

" **Someone, please help me!"** She yelled out. Her words fell on deaf ears though.

She could hear them. The pack was right behind her. How much longer until they caught her and tore her to pieces? She only knew that it would be soon.

She didn't want to give up though. She clung to whatever hope she had left.

Just as her body was about to give up, her silent begs for salvation were answered.

White light blinded her vision. Whatever energy she had left inside her body disappeared as she fell unconscious.

The Houndoom pack was also blinded by the white light. They took a step back while shielding their eyes with their front paws.

The light eventually died down. Uncovering their eyes, the Houndoom found out that their prey was nowhere to be seen. They couldn't sense her. They couldn't smell her either, it was as if she have vanished.

The Houndoom pack all growled in frustration and anger before running off towards their home.

There wouldn't be any meal tonight.

{[Scene Break]}

 ***BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*** the sound of an alarm clock sounded through a silent room.

"Ugh, shut up. Let me sleep some more…" a tired male voice said seemingly to no one. A hand that was previously covered by a blanket reached out in an attempt to turn off the alarm that was sitting on a bedside cabinet right next to a queen-sized bed.

 ***BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-*** the alarm was finally turned off as the person laying in the bed let out a large but quiet yawn.

Still sleepy, the person looked towards the alarm only to see that it was currently 6:30 AM. It was a Friday by what he could make out of his tired eyes.

He slowly sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Removing the blanket covering his body, he swung his feet across the bed until they could reach the ground and stood up tiredly.

He slowly began making his way to the bathroom trying not to trip while walking. He was still asleep for the most part after all.

Finally arriving to the bathroom, he turned the lights on and entered it. He walked to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror cabinet hanging right above the sink. He couldn't see his face clearly as he was still very sleepy.

He opened the mirror cabinet and pulled out a toothbrush and toothpaste. He rinsed his toothbrush with some water and applied toothpaste on it. He then began brushing his teeth, making sure not to miss any corner.

Once done, he put his toothbrush and toothpaste back inside the mirror cabinet. As he did this, he began splashing his face with water. He was now fully awake. He looked at himself in the mirror once again.

He stood at about five foot, ten and was lean but somewhat muscular. He had white skin, blue eyes and white hair. His face didn't have any facial hair on it. No moustache, no beard, no nothing.

His white hair was long and unkempt. Long strands falling haphazardly across his face with a few longer locks gradually hiding more and more of his face the further left you tried to look. He tried to push the bangs up into something that represented something like the latest hairstyle that everyone at school was sporting. It held just long enough for him to think the operation was a success and then flopped back down into its natural state of unruly mess.

Sighing and stepping away from the mirror, he used one of the towels hanging on the rack of the shower door to dry his face off. He then exited the bathroom and began walking back to his room to get dressed for the day.

He opened his dresser and quickly chose his clothes for the day. He grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans, a gray T-shirt and his favorite black hoodie. Quickly dressing up, he grabbed his backpack laying at the edge of the room, swung it over one shoulder and headed downstairs towards the kitchen.

He made himself a bowl of cereal and quickly ate it. He put away the dishes into the sink and headed towards the front door. It was a Friday which meant that he had to go to school. An activity that he didn't really enjoy doing, but had to do nevertheless.

He opened the front door and stepped out of the house. Once outside, he closed the door behind him and locked it. He then put the key in his pocket and began walking towards the school.

Something suddenly hit him though. Barely 2 feet away from his home, he quickly turned around and began running towards his house. Quickly unlocking the door, he rushed inside and took a look at the calendar that was hanging from a wall in the hallway.

"You gotta be kidding me…" he said to himself as he saw the current date. "You really gotta be kidding me."

He checked again just to make sure. The current date was the day that marked the beginning of the summer vacation. Seeing this he let out a long audible sigh.

He closed the door behind him and returned to his room, leaving his backpack at the same place where he picked it up from. While doing this, he kept on talking to himself.

"Fucking Hell, Alex. You were excited last night cuz you'd be free, yet you forget about it immediately the day after. You're a bloody genius." he said to himself. Letting out yet another sigh he grabbed his alarm clock and turned it off. "Well, I won't be needing this for a couple of months anyways."

Turning off his alarm, the boy, Alex, put his alarm clock back on the bedside cabinet. He then made his bed, a thing that he always forgot to do before leaving for school.

Once he made his bed he made his way to his computer that was sitting on a desk located at the edge of the room. He booted up the machine and sat down on a chair located right in front of the desk.

The first thing that he decided to do was check the Internet and the social networks that he was registered in. Nothing seemed to interest him sadly.

He checked the time again. Only half an hour have passed since he woke up. He leaned back into his chair as his mind began to wander around.

It was too early to call any of his friends, nothing on the Internet really concerned him at the moment and for sure he didn't want to waste his time with television. Although listening to music would be a nice alternative, Alex didn't really feel like doing it at the moment. Playing some computer games sounded good as well, but he wasn't in the mood for that either.

' _There's gotta be something I can do to pass the time…'_ Alex thought to himself. An idea then struck him. _'Well, if nothing here entertains me at the moment…'_

Alex then turned the computer off and stood up from his chair. He walked to his dresser and opened it. He reached to the bottom of the dresser and opened one of the drawers that were located at the bottom of the dresser.

Inside the drawer was a considerable amount of knives. Pocket knives, switchblades, combat knives, daggers and many more.

When it came to knives, Alex was a fanatic. There wasn't an available blade in his town that he didn't own. He didn't know why he was so obsessed with them. He just was.

Quickly going through his large collection, Alex picked up a switchblade and put it in his hoodie pocket. Closing the drawer and then the dresser afterwards, Alex grabbed his phone, his wallet and his keys and made his way to the front door.

Opening the front door once more, he stepped outside and locked the door behind him. With that, he began walking around the neighborhood.

{[Scene Break]}

The scenery outside was beautiful. The birds' chirping and the beautiful morning sky was one of Alex's favorite things. It was always relaxing for him even in the darkest of his days. The neighborhood Alex lived in was quiet and there were not really too many structures. The town he lived in was also situated pretty close to a forest which Alex loved to go to with his friends.

' _Man, I'm thirsty…'_ Alex thought to himself while walking around the neighborhood. Luckily for him, he was close to a grocery store that was run by a friend of his parent's. _'I haven't seen him in a while anyways…'_

With his mind set, Alex made his way to the nearby grocery store. As he opened the door he heard the voice of the shop's owner.

"Oh? Alex, my boy!" the owner said as Alex entered the store. Alex smiled at the man and waved at him. He then walked to the counter the man was behind.

"Hi there Mr. Cook." Alex greeted him. "Nice to see you again."

"Likewise, my boy." Mr. Cook replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure? I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, sorry for that." Alex said as he scratched the back of his head. "The last few days of school have been a bit rough. I totally forgot about most of the 'outside' world."

"Enjoy them while they last." Mr. Cook said with a sigh. "You're going to regret it if you don't."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Alex said as he picked up a bottle of water that was near him. "Nevertheless, the thirst is unbearable. Just the water."

"Certainly, Alex." Mr. Cook said. He then proceeded to scan the barcode of the bottle that Alex took. "50 cents."

"Here." Alex said as he handed him two 25 cents coins. Mr. Cook took them and put them in the cash register.

"Anyways, how are your parents?" Mr. Cook asked.

"I haven't seen them in a while." Alex replied. "That job of theirs really is something. They haven't been here for around 2 months now."

"I never got around to ask them, but what is their job anyways?" Mr. Cook asked. Alex put his hand on his chin for a second before answering his question.

"I don't know either." Alex replied. "Apparently it's something really important, but it's a 'Top Secret' or something, so they never really told me."

"I see." Mr. Cook said. "I hope you're fine on your own."

"I've been good so far." Alex said. "I got used to it anyways. I understand them though. Somebody gotta do this job."

"Indeed." Mr. Cook said with a nod of his head.

"Well then, I think it'll be better if I go. I don't really wanna interrupt your work." Alex said as he began making his way towards the door.

"Don't worry, you're not interrupting me at all." Mr. Cook said. "But if you have to go I won't stop you. Drop by again sometime though, will ya?"

"Yeah, sure." Alex said. "See you later Mr. Cook."

"Goodbye." Mr. Cook said with a wave of his hand. With that, Alex left the store and continued with his stroll through the neighborhood.

{[Scene Break]}

An hour has passed since Alex left the grocery store. His aimless wandering around different scenic routes, far away stores and tight alleys eventually led him to a clearing which was leading towards the nearby forest. The forest was a place that Alex loved to go to, especially when his friends were with him.

"Might as well go there for a while. Nothing better to do anyways." Alex said to no one in particular. With that, he headed towards the forest.

The silence and the fresh clean air of the wooded area were always relaxing for Alex, which was also the reason why he used to go there often. He always felt drawn towards the nature and its beauty, though he never really understood why. He just felt at peace, as if he was 'home'.

Alex kept walking forward, going deeper into the forest. While walking, he was looking around himself, admiring the beauty of the nature surrounding him. Truly nothing could ruin this moment.

Or so he thought.

"Maybe I'll be able to go to 'The Watchtower' toda-" he got interrupted mid-sentence as he suddenly felt a sharp pain, as if somebody stabbed him in the head with a knife. He fell on his knees while holding his head in his hands.

' _What the fuck is this?!'_ Alex thought with his head still in his hands. _'This headache is unbearable! Where did it come from?!'_

The sudden headache didn't stop. Instead it became much more painful. Alex was rolling on the ground gripping his head tightly at this point, trying to endure the pain.

All of a sudden, the headache disappeared. It felt as if it was never there. Alex was still on the ground, panting heavily.

' _W-What was that…?'_ Alex thought to himself as he stood up from the cold, hard ground. _'It felt like my head was being torn apart from the inside…'_

Alex knew that there wasn't anything wrong with him. He felt good in the morning, he felt good up to the point when his head just began hurting all of a sudden. Not to mention there was no trace of illness or sickness last time he checked. What could have triggered the excruciating headache then though?

' _Maybe it was something in the forest…?'_ Alex asked himself as he looked around himself. He couldn't see anything there. Just the massive trees and the squirrels that were climbing up and down the trees. _'This doesn't seem normal at all… What was that?'_

 ***Ring! Ring! Ring!*** Alex's phone suddenly rang, interrupting his thoughts. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and answered the call without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" Alex said as he picked up the phone.

 _:*Yawn* Hey Alex.:_ A sleepy, feminine voice was heard from the other end of the line. Alex immediately recognized the owner of the voice.

"Good morning, Jessica." Alex replied to the person that was calling him. "How are you?"

 _:I'm good, but I'm still a bit tired… *Yawn*:_ The caller, Jessica, replied. _:How about you?:_

"Well, I'm good right now… There was something weird happening earlier though…" Alex replied.

 _:Weird? What do you mean 'weird'?:_ Jessica asked with concern evident in her voice.

"Long story, I'd prefer to just tell you face to face." Alex replied.

 _:Wanna hang out then?:_ Jessica asked him. _:I'm a bit bored anyways.:_

"Yeah, same." Alex said. "Well, I'm in the forest right now, but I was planning on returning home soon anyways. Why don't you stop by my place? We'll decide what to do afterwards there."

 _:Sounds good.:_ Jessica replied. _:I'll see you soon then.:_

"Indeed." Alex said. "Well then, I'll be going home now. I'll be waiting for you there."

 _:Alright then. Later.:_ Jessica said.

"Later." Alex replied. He then proceeded to hang up the phone and put it back in his pocket. He turned around and looked towards the trees once more.

' _What caused this? Why was it so painful?'_ Alex asked himself again. Deciding that it wasn't the right time to worry about that, he turned around and began walking towards his house.

{[Scene Break]}

Half an hour passed and Alex was already nearing his house. During his short, but fast-paced walk home he was reflecting on the events that happened when he entered the forest. No matter how hard he tried to ignore what happened, he just couldn't stop thinking about it.

' _I'm not sick, that's for sure…'_ Alex thought to himself while still making his way towards his house. _'But if it wasn't because of me, what was the reason then?'_

His thoughts were soon cut short though. He was currently standing right in front of his house's front door. He himself didn't realize just how short it took him to reach his destination.

He pulled out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. He entered his house and closed the door behind him. Walking to the living room, Alex put his phone and wallet on the table. He then sat down on the couch in the living room as his mind began to wander back to the events that happened in the forest.

' _I just can't stop thinking about it… This definitely isn't normal… Is there something in the forest?'_ Alex's thoughts flooded his mind. No matter how hard he tried to, he just couldn't stop thinking about it. The sudden headache, the excruciating pain… There was something going on in the forst, he was sure of it.

 ***DING DONG*** The doorbell was suddenly heard, interrupting Alex's train of thought. He rose from the couch and made his way to the front door.

Opening the door, he was met by a young girl with long black messy hair, reaching almost all the way down to her waist. She had blue eyes, standing at around 5 feet, 6 inches. She was wearing a blue jacket atop a white T-shirt, combined with light-blue jeans and white sneakers.

"Hi, Jessica." Alex greeted her as he opened the door. "Enter, please." He said as he held the door open for her while moving out of the way.

"Hello, Alex." Jessica replied as she entered Alex's home with Alex closing the door behind her. "Nice morning, isn't it?"

"Meh. Could've been better. I was way too bored. Even strolling around didn't entertain me enough." Alex replied as he led the girl, Jessica, to the living room.

"Why didn't you just call?" Jessica asked as she sat on the sofa.

"Me, the idiot, forgot to turn off the alarm clock last night and woke up at 6:30 AM, believing I had to go to school." Alex explained as he sat down next to her. "I planned on calling either you or Kyle, but I honestly doubted that any of you guys would be awake so early."

"You're not wrong." Jessica said. "Speaking of Kyle, I haven't heard from him since Wednesday. Do you think he's okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure he's fine." Alex replied. "His phone's probably dead or something."

"Speaking of which, you mentioned something weird happening when I called you earlier." Jessica said, remembering Alex's words from around half an hour ago. "What was going on when I called you?"

"I… I'm not too sure myself…" Alex replied as he scratched the back of his head. "I was just walking around the forest, I thought about going to 'The Watchtower' and then suddenly my head began hurting like hell."

"You got a headache?" Jessica asked.

"Out of nowhere, yes. But it wasn't just some normal headache." Alex continued. "It felt like my head was being stabbed by thousands of blades. Or as if somebody was about to blow it up from the inside. I've never felt such an excruciating pain before."

"For real?" Jessica asked as she put a hand on Alex's head. "Does it still hurt?"

"No, it stopped a little before you called me." Alex replied. "Honestly, I have no idea what happened or what caused it."

"Maybe you should see a doctor." Jessica suggested. "This doesn't sound good at all."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Alex replied as he nodded his head. "But I doubt that any of them will be accepting patients today…"

"Hmm, you're right. Well then, can't be helped." Jessica began stroking his head. "I'll stay with you today and make sure you're alright. How's that sound?"

"Pretty good." Alex replied. "Thank you, Jess."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, isn't it?" Jessica removed her hand from Alex's head and smiled brightly. "Besides, nursing you would be fun~"

"Yeah, whatever you say." Alex replied with a faint blush. "Don't put it that way though, it sounds weird…"

"Oh, shut up, you're not going to get rid of me. that easily." Jessica said with a chuckle soon followed by Alex who chuckled as well. "Anyways, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know really…" Alex replied as he scratched his head. "It's way too hot to go anywhere right now, so I guess we're stuck with whatever we can think of doing here."

"Well then, what do you say we watch a movie or something?" Jessica suggested.

"Sounds good." Alex nodded his head. "Which one though?"

"I have one in mind." Jessica said as she grabbed the remote controller laying on the table in front of the sofa she and Alex were sitting on. "How about you bring some snacks while I find it?"

"Sounds good to me." Just as Alex was about to get up from the sofa, Jessica stopped him.

"Come to think of it, maybe it'll be better if you stay here." Jessica said. "We don't want you to get another headache again, do we?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Alex reassured her as he began walking towards the kitchen. Jessica just shrugged and began scrolling through the channels of the TV.

As it seemed, today would be just another boring day.

 _But oh how wrong they were…_

{[Scene End]}

* * *

 **Thus ends the Prologue. So, how did you guys find it? Boring? Generic? Somewhat interesting? I'm curious, please let me know what did you think of it!**

 **So, yeah, as you can probably tell already, this isn't gonna be an average Pokémon story. As I stated, this is just an experiment that I'm trying out. Pokémon serves just as the 'testing ground'. Usually I'd put such a story in FictionPress . net, but it'd be much easier for me to just use Pokémon and the wonderful creatures since it saves me from the pain to think of my own things.  
Or is that just an excuse for me being lazy? Probably. Who knows.**

 **Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoyed this short Prologue, and if so then please consider leaving me a review!**

 **Please excuse my poor grammar, writing skills and English. I'm not an experienced writer and English is not my native language so I have some troubles when I try to express myself. Feel free to leave tips or correct me if I have made mistakes somewhere. You'll help me greatly by doing so.**

 **I'd also like to thank my Beta readers! An enormous 'Thank You!' to randomhairz and Agent of the Divine One! Without them, this story would have probably been barely readable!**

 **So I guess that's all. Thank you all so much for stopping by, I hope I'll see you again!**

' _ **Stay awesome!'**_

 _ **\- Xeroz/Xerozzuro**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there, my dear readers! How are you doing? I hope your day/evening has been great so far and will continue to be great!**

 **Anyways, I'm back with chapter two of 'The Fate Of Two Lost Souls'. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that you guys (and gals?) enjoyed what I posted. Really, I didn't expect to get attention, but alas, it did. And I'm very glad it did!**

 **The update took me some time, I apologize. I was busy procrastinating and hanging out with friends. You know, the usual.**

 **Anyways, huge thanks to all of you folks that decided to keep up-to-date with the story and dropped a few kind words. You literally made my day!**

 **Without further ado, onto the story.**

 ** _Key:_**

"Speech"

 _'Thought'_

 _[Mind link]_

 ** _Pokéspeech"_**

 _Phone calls_

 ** _Unknown_**

*Action, Background action*

(Author remarks, rant, whatever)

 _{[Flashback/Start/End]}_

{[Scene Break/Start/End]}

 **Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Pokémon or its characters.** **It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **More Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own any of the games, companies, websites, etc. mentioned through this story. Their sole purpose in this story is to add some detail.** **All the rights go to their respective owners.**

 **I** ** _do_** **claim ownership of my OCs and plot of this story however, as well as the story itself.**

 **ENJOY!**

{[Scene Start]}

Night fell over the town. The previously blue sky changed to a jet-black one that engulfed the town. A full moon and numerous stars shone through the black sky. The town was illuminated by numerous street lights.

Such nights were perfect for Alex and his friends, so they spent them mostly outside. At times until after midnight. This night was no different.

Alex and Jessica were walking through the dimly-lit streets of the town while having a small talk.

"Nights are awesome, are they not?" Alex said to seemingly no one while he and Jessica were walking.

"Heh, you're a night owl. Of course you'd like them." Jessica replied. "You're right though, they _are_ beautiful."

"Being a night owl has nothing to do with me liking the night though." Alex said jokingly. "I just like them because they're peaceful and quiet. Adds to their beauty, y'know?"

"Yes, you're right." Jessica agreed.

The two of them continued their small talk while continuing their stroll around the town. None of them was paying attention to the direction they were walking in.

{[Scene Break]}

' _Where am I?'_

That was but one of the many questions she currently had. In one moment, she was running from a pack of wild Houndoom and in the next she found herself laying on the cold ground without a trace or a sign of the pack that was chasing her earlier.

She remembered a bright light blinding her vision. Everything then became white. The rest was blurry. She found herself in the middle of a forest of sorts. She was laying on her back with her body aching all over.

She tried to sit up, but before she could even lift her upper body from the ground, she fell back and groaned in pain. She felt weak, her exhaustion finally catching up to her.

Was this truly the end for her? She had no idea how deep her cuts and wounds were. She had no idea how severe the burn is. But it hurt her like never before. Would she live to see another day? Or was this the end?

A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't want to die yet. She didn't have much to live for, but she didn't want to go yet. She didn't.

With the last of her strength, she began to cry for help. She hoped that anyone would hear it. She needed someone to hear it.

She needed a savior.

{[Scene Break]}

"Even though it's not that late yet, there are almost no people outside, eh?" Jessica said while looking around herself.

"Well, I mean, it _is_ night. And people need to sleep, y'know?" Alex replied as he chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, I know, but still…" Jessica said with a small sigh.

Alex suddenly stopped in his tracks. Jessica noticed and turned around. "What's wrong?" She asked him.

"The forest…" Alex replied. Jessica quickly caught on.

"I see. Let's head back, it will be better if we just avoid going in there." Jessica said as she and Alex turned around.

Just as they began walking towards their homes, Alex suddenly heard something. It was a faint feminine voice in his head.

"Do you… hear that?" Alex asked Jessica who just looked at him with confusion evident in her eyes. _'Great, I'm going insane. I'm even hearing voices now.'_

The voice in Alex's head was getting more and more quiet. But then another voice rang inside his head.

 ** _"What are you still doing here?! Don't you hear it? There's someone in danger!"_** the voice in Alex's head roared. This one was much different. It was manly, gruff and deep.

"Alex, are you okay?" Jessica asked as she put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"Lots of things." Alex replied as he looked towards Jessica with fear evident in his eyes. "I-I'm going insane."

"What?" Jessica replied with eyes filled with confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Before he could even open his mouth to answer though, Alex began running towards the forest. He didn't know why was he running, he didn't know why was he advancing towards the forest, but his body was acting on its own. No matter how hard he tried to stop, his body kept moving.

"What the- Where are you going?!" Jessica yelled out as Alex began to run towards the forest. "What's wrong with him today?!" she said to herself as she began running after him.

' _Where am I running to?!'_ Alex thought to himself while he was running and going deeper and deeper into the forest. He struggled to stop himself, but he couldn't. He kept running and running.

 ** _"Fear not, for I am with you and I shall make sure that no harm comes to you. You have to embrace your fate, youngling!"_** the deep gruff voice rang through Alex's head once more.

' _Who is this? Who are you? Where are you?'_ Alex tried to respond to the voice in his head. He was panicking and was still running towards God-knows-where.

 ** _"You will get to know me in time, youngling. For now, just listen to your instincts! Run towards the 'Key'!"_** came the voice's response.

Alex's eyes widened. His insanity has just leveled up and the voices in his head now responded and talking about nonsensical things. Still, for some reason he tried to ask the voice one more thing.

' _What are you talking about? What key?!'_ Alex asked the voice.

 ** _"All answers will be revealed when the time is right. Listen to your instincts! Believe in your instincts! You shall be safe once the 'Key' is safe!"_** the voice replied as Alex's body began to move faster and faster.

' _Great, I hope I'm running towards some asylum or something, because that's definitely not normal.'_ Alex thought to himself.

It was then he realized that he didn't feel his body at all. It was as if something else was controlling it. He didn't feel pain, exhaustion or his limbs.

"Slow down, Alex!" Jessica yelled while running after him. "Where are you running towards anyways?!"

"I wish I could tell you!" Alex yelled back as his body kept running towards somewhere. "But I myself have no idea!"

"Then stop!" Jessica yelled out as her legs began to give in.

"I can't! Already tried it!" Alex yelled back. "My body simply won't stop running!"

The moment he said that Alex's body suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. Alex regained his control over his body, but lost his stability which caused him to plop face first on the ground. Jessica ran up to him while breathing heavily.

"Are you *pant* okay?" Jessica asked him. Alex lifted himself off the ground and rubbed his forehead.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going insane and now my head hurts, so no, I'm not exactly okay." Alex replied.

"You just began running out of the blue. What the hell happened?!" Jessica asked as she finally regained her breath.

"Well … Believe it or not, I heard a voice." Alex replied sheepishly. "It was gruff and said something about fate and some 'Key'. 'All the answers will be revealed when the time is right' and other weird stuff."

Jessica fixed him with an incredulous stare, and Alex felt the dull flush of embarrassment creep up his neck; colouring his cheeks

"You should probably stop watching anime. It's messing with your brain already." Jessica said a touch angrily but the slight waver in her voice told Alex she was concerned.

"I swear to God, I'm not joking. I heard the voice inside my head, it's-it's almost unreal." Alex gripped his head with his hands as he closed his eyes and sat on the ground. "This is all so weird, I don't know what's happening!"

"J-Just try to calm down." Jessica said as she crouched next to him. "I'm sure there is some logical explanation behind this."

"Waiting for suggestions that could explain it. I'm pretty sure something is just wrong with me." Alex replied. "This isn't normal. Not a single bit, this is just-"

[Help me…] the same feminine voice rang through his head, interrupting him. He could hear it clearly this time. It begged for help.

"Did you… hear that?" Alex asked Jessica while looking around.

"Hear what?" she responded, confusion evident in her eyes. "Alex, I'm really starting to worry about you. What's going on?"

"I don't know myself, but I hear-" Alex tried to explain, only to be interrupted again.

[Somebody please help…] the feminine voice rang through his head once more. It was getting weaker and weaker.

"There it is again…" Alex said as he stood up and began walking towards somewhere.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jessica asked as she went after him.

"I-I don't know… My body is acting all on its own again. I can't stop it." Alex said as he kept walking deeper into the forest.

"Are you still listening to the 'voices' in your head?! You have to snap out of it!" Jessica yelled out. "They're not real!"

"I-I know!" Alex replied as his body kept moving forward. "But they seem so… real. I-I don't want to listen to them, but my body does anyways!"

[Help…] the feminine voice was getting stronger with every step Alex was waking. At the same time, it was also getting weaker.

"I think I know what's happening." Alex said. "I hear another voice. It was much weaker before, but now that my body is going somewhere I can hear it much more clearly. It asks for help. Somebody's in danger."

"You can't be for real." Jessica yelled. "You're saving an imaginary voice in your head!"

"Hey, I don't understand it myself!" Alex gritted his teeth. "But in my position, there isn't anything that I can do about it."

"Alright, that's it!" Jessica yelled out as she jumped in front of Alex and attempted to block his path. "I don't know what's wrong with you but I'm putting an end to it right now!"

"It's useless. I can't control myself so it's likely you'll just get hurt." Alex replied as Jessica gripped his shoulders and tried to stop him from moving any further.

"I still have to try though!" she yelled out as Alex's body kept walking forward despite her efforts to stop him. "Alex, you're not insane! You've never acted like this before! Do not start doing it now! You're worrying me sick!"

"I-I know!" Alex replied as he clenched his hands into fists. "I don't want to listen to those voices either! But there's nothing I can do about it! I can't control my body and this weird voice keeps talking in my head! It just won't shut up!"

"Fight it! Fight it! You're stronger than that!" Jessica said as she was pushed backwards by Alex who was still moving forwards. She was still gripping his shoulders however. "You're a fighter, Alex! You've always been! Just stop yourself! You're the only one that can do it!"

Alex did as told. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. He tried to regain his body, his control over it. It didn't seem to work for now as he kept moving forwards. He didn't give up though. He kept trying and trying.

And then, it happened.

His body was under control once more. He could feel it, he could control it. The voices in his head were still present though.

"I… I did it! I'm free!" Alex yelled out in happiness. His happiness was short-lived however. He heard the voices in his head once more. Albeit weaker, they were still present.

"Are the voices gone too?" Jessica asked.

"No. I still hear them." Alex replied. "For some reason though, I can tell where the one I'm hearing right now is coming from."

"Coming from?" Jessica asked with confusion evident in her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"It's coming from inside the forest. The path that my body was walking through… It leads to the source of it." Alex pointed in front of himself as he took another step forward. "I-I have no idea why I know this, but I just do."

"Are you _absolutely_ certain that it's not just your imagination?" Jessica asked with her eyes narrowed.

"100% certain." Alex replied with a nod. "It's coming from there. I guess, if I want it to stop, I'll just have to go there and see what happens."

"Yeah, go there and get yourself killed by some lunatic or who knows what." Jessica said sarcastically. "Seriously, that's one way ticket to your death! And you just decide to get the ticket and ride the train to the Afterlife?!"

In return, Alex turned towards Jessica and put his hands on her shoulders. He gave her a gentle smile in an attempt to convince her that he'll be okay.

"Do not worry about me." he said. "I'll be safe. I won't let myself get killed just like that. You've said it, I'm a fighter. And therefore, I shall fight if I have to. All I ask for is your trust. Do you trust me?"

Jessica couldn't reply. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't really think that Alex was becoming insane, but now that she thought about it, it wasn't impossible either. But even if he was right, would he be alright? There could be anything there! How could she just let him go?

"Do you trust me?" Alex asked her once more. He noticed the single tear that was rolling down her cheek so he used his thumb to wipe it away. He then spoke again. "I know that you're worried, and I thank you for being worried, but it's something that I have to check out. Do you understand?"

Jessica looked down. Her hair was covering her eyes, so Alex couldn't see her expression. She clutched her hands into fists and stood silent for a couple of seconds. Finally, she spoke up.

"I do." she said quietly. "But at least promise me that you'll be fine."

"Don't worry." Alex replied. "I'll be safe and sound."

With that, Alex began walking towards where he was walking just moments ago. Not even three steps further he turned around confused.

"You're… coming with me?" he asked.

"Of course I am." Jessica snorted, bravado filling the space where fear had vacated. "Whatever you're going to do there, I won't let you do it alone. We're friends after all, are we not?"

"Of course we are." he replied with a smile. "Thank you for watching over me."

Jessica didn't say anything. She just nodded as both of them began making their way towards the source of the voice in Alex's head.

Although he didn't admit it, Alex was glad that Jessica decided to follow him. It made him feel much better knowing that he won't be there alone. He didn't dare tell Jessica, but he was afraid. Very afraid. Whatever he was about to encounter there, he knew that this thing is responsible for the weird voices in his head. It wouldn't be human, right?

Alex has always believed in the supernatural. Ghosts, aliens, mystical creatures, he believed in them all. It seemed stupid to some people, but Alex was open-minded. It's a big universe we live in. The existence of such things couldn't be that far away from the truth, could it?

He was sure in one thing. Whatever was waiting there, it most probably isn't human.

Alex and Jessica kept walking forwards, making their way towards 'the source'. Their hearts were beating like crazy. They were not prepared for whatever's to come, but Alex was determined to find out what's the cause of those abnormal things.

No longer than 30 seconds later, both him and Jessica found themselves in an opening in the forest they were not familiar with. It was a big one at that, by what they could tell. The moon was shining right above the forest opening, illuminating it dimly. Thick fog was covering the opening, making it harder for both of them to look at their surroundings.

"That fog wasn't visible just a moment ago." Alex said as he looked around.

"Indeed, but I guess it formed just now." Jessica replied. "What are we looking for anyways?"

"Uhm, a person, an alien, Slenderman, I don't know. Whatever looks out of the ordinary." Alex replied as he slowly began walking around while also being careful not to trip.

"Yeah, we greatly narrowed the list to things that can kill us. Do we have something that isn't able to do so?" Jessica retorted sarcastically.

"Dunno. Your harsh sarcasm kills me on the inside though." Alex replied while pretending to be hurt. Jessica began to look around as well.

"In any case, I'm scared. You're absolutely sure the thing you heard isn't just your mind playing things on you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm 100% certain." Alex replied. He then proceeded to pull out his pocket knife and prepared it just in case. "Whatever it is, it's here."

"Just be careful, okay?" Jessica said as she kept walking around and looking around herself.

"Yeah, same goes to you." Alex said as he also looked around. "You want me to give you my knife?"

"No, I will be-" Jessica was about to reply until her leg lightly hit something. She looked towards her leg in an attempt to see what it was. Even through the thick fog, she was able to see something. It looked like a human lying on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"I-I found something. Hold on, I'll try to use my flashlight." Jessica said as she pulled out her phone and turned its flashlight on. She directed it towards the 'person' she saw. Once the flashlight revealed what the 'person' was, Jessica gasped in shock.

"Well, what is-" Alex was about to ask as he began walking towards the place Jessica was at. He was interrupted by her scream. A scream of terror and panic.

"AAAAH!" Jessica screamed out as she instinctively took a few steps back and fell on her butt. She dropped her phone right next to her in the process.

"What's wrong?!" Alex began running towards Jessica and crouched down next to her to check if she's fine. "Are you okay?! What did you see?!"

"T-T-There… A-A-Alien… B-Big b-blue eyes…" she stuttered as she shakingly pointed towards the place she directed the flashlight to.

Alex gripped his knife tighter and took Jessica's phone. He took a step forward and directed the flashlight towards the same place that Jessica was pointing at.

The flashlight illuminated the 'alien' and even through the thick fog, Alex was being able to see what Jessica saw just seconds ago. He gasped and his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. A weird creature laid there. A creature he felt like he has seen somewhere else.

The creature itself was definitely a humanoid by what Alex could see. Most of the creature's body was white, but its arms and chest were light blue. The creature had long light blue hair that Alex guessed reached all the way to its waist. Its hair curled over its face, all the way to its 'chin' and down the side of its head. The upper part of the hair was covering its forehead and right eye. Its face was completely spherical, making it seem like it lacked a chin or jaw.

The creature also had big blue eyes by what he could see. Although they were partially closed, he was able to spot them even through the thick fog. On both sides of its head were three not-too-long spikes that resembled a masquerade mask. The spikes were positioned on the same place the ears would be usually placed, so Alex supposed the spikes on either side of the head served a similar function as the ears.

The creature's body was pretty thin. Not too far away from a human figure, but still a lot thinner than usual. Its hips were almost the size of an average human female, but way thinner and narrower, while its shoulders were narrower than human females'. Its waist was also much thinner than the human females'. The creature also had long white slender legs without toes or feet.

A purple, fin-like horn extended from its chest. The horn was positioned right between the creature's breasts which were about as big as the breasts of an average teenage human girl. Just by this observation, Alex was ready to assume that the creature was a female.

The creature's chest was completed with a light blue band that was covering its chest, but left the purple spike uncovered. The light blue band was connected to its sleeve-like light blue hands.

The creature seemed to be wearing a pure white gown. The underside of the gown was light blue like its hair and arms. The gown itself was all dirty, covered in small amounts of blood and mud. It was torn and revealed the whole front part of the creature's legs.

The weird being was in a pretty bad condition with wounds and cuts covering big parts of it body. A burn mark was present on its left arm and although it didn't look too bad, it still needed care. Its breaths were ragged and slow and its whole body was shaking.

"T-This is…" Alex muttered to himself while observing the weird creature. He was in a state of shock, but he wasn't scared. Instead, he felt… concern?

The creature slowly looked towards Alex. Its eyes widened, but only slightly. It tried to lift itself up, but failed and just groaned in pain. It clenched its teeth as if in pain. This didn't really surprise Alex, since it was wounded and cut after all.

' _Is this really what I think it is…?'_ Alex thought to himself. The creature laying before his feet bore a grave resemblance to something else he has seen. But what were the chances that it was the same thing?

The being's eyes glowed slightly and the feminine voice rang through Alex's head once more.

[Help… me…] the voice was even weaker than before. It sounded as if in pain. This immediately made Alex's brain kick into gear.

The feminine voice that he kept hearing in his head, the one that kept asking for help was the being laying before him. A bruised, cut, burned creature that Alex could've sworn he has seen somewhere else.

"J-Jessica, this is it…" Alex said as he turned towards Jessica while still pointing the phone's flashlight towards the creature. "This is the thing that kept sending those messages in my head…"

"T-This t-thing…?" Jessica asked while still sitting on the ground. She looked towards Alex's face. He looked shocked, yet serious. She knew that he was certain of this, but she couldn't understand it. "T-This was the t-thing that wanted help?"

"Yes." Alex replied. He turned towards the creature once more. "Judging by its breathing and those wounds…"

"Y-You think it'll die here?" Jessica asked as she stood up from the ground and walked over towards Alex.

"Most likely. It requires help." Alex said. "If anything, at least we confirmed I'm not going insane. So I think it'd be safe to assume the other voice was right as well."

"The gruff and deep voice?" Jessica asked.

"Yes. It said something about a 'Key'." Alex replied with a nod. "It said that I shall be safe as long as the 'Key' is safe. I'm pretty sure it was talking about this 'alien'."

"So what now? We'll take it to the hospital?" Jessica asked.

"Yes, and from there directly to Area 51 where it'll get experimented on and possibly killed." Alex said with sarcasm evident in his voice. "I'm waiting for other suggestions."

"Let's leave it here then! We can just go home and forget this ever happened!" Jessica almost yelled out.

"I refuse." Alex replied as he crouched next to the creature and took a better look at it. "For one, if we leave it as it is, it'll surely die. Those are some serious wounds."

"What about 'two', then?" Jessica asked with her hands crossed.

"For two, I can't just leave it here. I don't know why, but I feel obliged to help it." Alex replied.

"Y-You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking…" confusion took over Jessica's mind. Was he really serious about this?

In return, Alex turned his head towards her. "Look at me. Does it look like I'm joking?" he asked her. Alas, he really had a serious expression on his face. And this just made Jessica all the more confused.

"Okay, but why do you feel so?" Jessica asked him.

"Now this, even I don't know. I just, do. It's as if my heart is telling me to be concerned. I don't know why, but I just feel like it's the right thing to feel. The right thing to do." Alex explained as he examined the creature's wounds.

"Oh, great. You're listening to the voice again." Jessica sighed. "Seriously, I think I told you to stop doing that."

"Believe it or not, they stopped sounding in my head. All I hear is the voice asking for help, but it's getting weaker and weaker." Alex said. "So I must hurry up and take it home."

"Home? You're taking an alien you randomly encountered into your house?!" Jessica yelled out, startling Alex. "What the hell is wrong with you, Alex Walker?! FOR ALL YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT JUST STRAIGHT UP MURDER YOU AFTER YOU TREAT ITS WOUNDS!"

Alex didn't lose his calm. He was no longer examining the wounds, but he was still crouching beside the creature. He turned his head towards Jessica and smiled warmly.

"It won't do it." Alex said quietly. "Don't ask me how I know it, I just do."

"Y-You just know it?!" Jessica retorted. "Are you really that stupid?!"

"Yes." Alex replied. "We both know I am, but I'm positive it won't hurt me. You said you trusted me, right?"

"This is something no one should trust! This is a damn alien we've just encountered! And you simply suggest taking it to your house and treating it with an enormous threat for your life!" Jessica yelled out.

"I know it's a stupid course of action, but I don't want to see it getting killed and/or being experimented on." Alex replied. "Also, I'm sure it won't harm me. Besides, if it tries, I won't give up until the end."

"You've seriously lost your mind." Jessica said while shaking her head. "You've seriously lost it…"

"I guess you're right." Alex replied as he stood up on his feet and approached Jessica. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her directly in the eyes. "But I just _know_ it. I promise you I'll be safe. And I sure as hell will live to see it recover and possibly go where it belongs. All I ask for is your support. Will you support me?"

Jessica stood quiet for a while. Damn him and his convincing! It always worked on her!

"You're making it really hard to say 'no', you know?" Jessica said with a sigh. "Guess no matter what I say, you'll still follow your instincts…"

"Pretty much. I'm glad you've realized that." Alex replied as he grinned from ear to ear.

"However, promise me that you won't regret it." Jessica said. "If you get killed by it or if you get killed because of it, I'll personally find you in the Afterlife and I'll kill you once more. Capiché?"

"Y-Yes ma'am." Alex replied as he took a step back and put his hands in front of him. He smiled after a second though. "Thank you."

"I just don't want to see you getting killed, that's it." Jessica said. "You're important to me after all, you idiot."

"Aaaw, you're important to me as well." Alex said in the cutest voice he was able to pull off. "Still, thank you."

"You're welcome, I guess. Just be careful." Jessica shrugged as she took her phone from Alex's hands.

"Don't worry, I will." Alex said as he proceeded to take off his hoodie and put it on top of the 'alien'.

"What are you doing?" Jessica asked as she observed Alex's actions.

"Well, it's chilly and it's important to keep it warm. With wounds like those…" Alex replied as he crouched next to the 'alien' once more.

"Right. Whatever you say." Jessica said as she kept observing Alex's actions. He was crouched next to the 'alien' and was wrapping the hoodie around its upper body. What he did next surprised her however.

He put his hands under the creature and lifted it off the ground. He was carrying it bridal style.

She honestly expected of him to carry it on his back.

The moment the creature was lifted off the ground, its eyes closed. As it seemed, the creature has lost its consciousness.

"It fainted." Alex said as he looked towards the creature and then towards Jessica. "We should hurry home."

"If you say so." Jessica replied. "Just make sure no one sees it while you're carrying it towards your house."

"The streets are empty. I doubt anyone will see us." Alex said as he began moving forward. "In any case, let's go."

"I can't believe I agreed to this…" Jessica muttered to herself as she began walking right next to Alex while keeping eye on the creature in his arms. It seemed to be hurting, even in its 'sleep'.

Both Alex and Jessica began walking towards Alex's house, trying to be as fast as possible. Rain began pouring over them on their way there, which didn't really help them.

Jessica had many doubts. She wasn't sure what would happen from here on, but she was sure in one thing – the oncoming days would be the strangest days she's ever had.

As for Alex, he was confused. Why was he so concerned about the 'alien'? Why did he feel obliged to help this weird creature? Why was the gruff voice in his head hinting towards it as well?

Alex didn't know what was about to come, but he was sure in one thing:

 _The oncoming days would surely be interesting._

{[Scene End]}

 **And thus, chapter two comes to an end. Did you guys enjoy it? Or did you find it boring? Let me know!**

 **I'm not too sure what to write here to be honest. I can honestly nag you over and over about how different story this will be, but I'll save it. Besides, where's the fun in just telling you what I plan on doing?**

 **Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this not-too-short chapter, and if you did then make sure to leave me feedback! It's greatly appreciated!**

 **Once again, an enormous 'Thank You!' to randomhairz and Agent of the Divine One! They are the best Beta readers I can ever hope for! Thank you guy so much for your help! As ever, it's greatly appreciated!**

 **I think that's all for now, peeps! See you again next time!**

' ** _Stay awesome!'_**

 ** _\- Xeroz/Xerozzuro_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again, everybody! How are you all doing? I hope you've been good so far!**

 **Anyways, I'm back with another chapter for 'The Fate Of Two Lost Souls'! Honestly, the amount of support I'm getting on this little 'test' of mine is quite large one and I have all of you guys (and girls?) to thank!  
Really, thank you so much! It means a lot to me!**

 **With all that being said, I would like to thank you all once more for following me and this story. Really, it's great to have some feedback on the things I'm doing. Thank you all so much!**

 **So, without further ado, let's get right into the chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Key:**_

"Speech"

 _'Thought'_

 _[Mind link]_

 _"_ _ **Pokéspeech"**_

 _:_ _Phone calls_ _:_

 **"Unknown"**

*Action, Background action*

(Author remarks, rant, whatever)

 _{[Flashback/Start/End]}_

{[Scene Break/Start/End]}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Pokémon or its characters.** **It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **More Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own any of the games, companies, websites, etc. mentioned through this story. Their sole purpose in this story is to add some detail.** **All the rights go to their respective owners.**

 **I** _ **do**_ **claim ownership of my OCs and plot of this story however, as well as the story itself.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

{[Scene Start]}

Rain was pouring over the small town. Alex and Jessica were hurrying to Alex's house with an unknown entity that Alex was carrying in his hands. The rain caught both of them by surprise and with no other choice, they began making their way towards Alex's house in a brisk pace.

The day has been quite… eventful to say the least. Although Alex thought it'd be just the beginning of a boring summer, he was quickly proven otherwise. After all, he was holding an alien in his hands. A wounded alien that somehow managed to ask for help through Alex's mind.

Although, was it really an alien? The entity carried a big resemblance to something else that Alex has seen.

"Damn, they didn't report anything about rain!" Jessica exclaimed while walking right next to Alex.

"They didn't report anything about 'aliens' too, but look at what I'm holding." Alex replied with a light giggle.

"It was _your_ idea to carry it to your house, you idiot!" Jessica retorted. "It'll just harm you, I tell you!"

"We already resolved this in the forest." Alex calmly said. "Let's not start again, okay?"

"Right, right. Let's hurry though, I don't want to get soaked." Jessica replied as they increased their pace.

Luckily for them, they were very close to Alex's house. Two minutes later, they stood in front of his house. The rain was still pouring and as it looked like, it would only intensify.

"Can't reach for my keys." Alex said as he turned towards Jessica. "You mind unlocking in my stead? The keys are in my pocket."

"Fine." Jessica replied. She put her hand inside Alex's pocket and pulled out the door keys. She then proceeded to unlock and open the door.

"Thank you." Alex said as he walked inside with Jessica following him. "Now then, better get _her_ patched up."

"How do you know it's a she?" Jessica asked him as they began to make their way towards his room.

"Uhm, let's see… Its voice sounded feminine in my head, it has long hair, its body looks elegant like a female's and most importantly – it has breasts." Alex replied with a faint blush forming on his face as he mentioned the last bit.

"I don't think that this is enough of a proof. It might be a male for all you know." Jessica said. "After all, it _is_ an alien, so it's pretty different. Their males might look more feminine where it comes from."

"I actually doubt that this is an alien." Alex said as they finally arrived in his room. "I could've sworn I've seen something like it before."

"Ah, you're one of those that have been abducted by aliens." Jessica gasped sarcastically. "How come you've never told me those stories?!"

"I'm not joking." Alex said. "Let's first patch her up and then I'll show you."

"*Sigh* Sure, whatever you say." Jessica replied as Alex put the entity in his hands on his bed. He then unwrapped his hoodie from her upper body.

"Now where did I put that damn first-aid kit?" Alex muttered to himself as he began searching around his room. He finally found what he was looking for. "While waiting, why don't you go to the bathroom and dry yourself?"

"Yeah, no." Jessica snorted. "I'm not leaving you alone."

"Have it your way." Alex replied as he put the first-aid kit on his bedside cabinet and opened it. He then began inspecting the creature's wounds.

"Couple of cuts here and there, minor wounds at some places and a burn mark." he said aloud. "Doesn't seem too serious. But they better be treated fast. We'll need some cold water first."

"You want me to go get some?" Jessica asked.

"I know you said you don't want to leave me alone and all, but I'm sure it won't take long." Alex replied. "Please, just go to the bathroom and fill one of the basins with cold water. Bring a washcloth and soap as well."

"Fine. I'll try not to take too long." Jessica said as she began walking towards the bathroom in brisk pace.

' _Its breathing is slow. It appears to be in pain.'_ Alex thought to himself while watching the entity that was laid on his bed. _'What could have happened to it?'_

"I'm back." Jessica said as she entered the room. She was holding a basin filled with water in one hand and a soap with a washcloth in the other.

"Good." Alex replied. "Then let's begin."

Alex decided to deal with the cuts first. The cuts looked like they have stopped bleeding a long time ago. A good sign, they weren't that deep.

He began by cleaning the cuts with water using the washcloth. Once this was done, he grabbed an ointment from the first-aid kit and applied it to the cuts. Afterwards he grabbed some strip bandages from the first-aid kit. After removing the coverings of the adhesive part of the bandages, he applied them over the cuts.

Once done with this, he focused on the wounds. Thankfully, they were minor and didn't look as something too serious or fatal. Still, they needed care.

"Can you bring me another washcloth?" Alex said as he turned towards Jessica. "Or you can simply wash this one. Both work."

"Okay." Jessica said as she took the washcloth from Alex's way and went to the bathroom. Half a minute later she returned with a rinsed washcloth.

"Thank you." Alex said as he took the washcloth back in his hands.

He began by applying some pressure to the wounds in order to stop the bleeding. Once done with that, he began to clean the wounds using the washcloth and the cold water in the basin.

"Pass me that antibiotic cream from the kit, will ya?" Alex asked Jessica while cleaning the wounds. Jessica did as asked and passed him the cream. "Thank you." he said as he took the cream in his hands.

He began to apply the cream over the wounds. Once he was done with that, he covered the wounds with strip bandages.

All that was left for treating was the burn mark on the creature's left arm. Thankfully, it didn't look severe.

Alex dipped the washcloth in the basin's cold water, then proceeded to apply the washcloth over the burn, receiving a weak wince from the creature. A good sign, meant that the damages done weren't that serious.

"Pass me that lotion from over there. While at it, pass me the gauze as well." Alex said as he pointed at the opened first-aid kit. Jessica did as told. "Thank you." he said as he took them.

He began to apply the lotion over the burn mark. Once done, he wrapped it with the gauze and left it be.

"Well, that's about it." Alex said as he put all the medicines back into the first-aid kit and then closed it.

"What do we do now?" Jessica asked as she picked up the basin, the washcloth and the soap.

"We leave her. She needs to get some rest." Alex replied as he took the blanket at the foot of the bed and covered the creature with it.

"Keep telling yourself that it's a female. You might be wrong." Jessica stated as she began to leave the room.

"Oh, I'll prove it to you." Alex said as he followed Jessica and left his room, while turning the lights off and closing the door.

"Yeah, right." Jessica retorted as she began walking towards the living room. "You probably have photos of many aliens you've encountered."

"Alright then." Alex said as him and Jessica sat down on the sofa in the living room. "I have the proof right here." he said as he pulled out his phone from his pocket.

"Your phone? Did I really guess about the photos of the aliens?" Jessica asked.

"Only halfway." Alex replied as he began to scroll through his phone. Finally, he found what he was looking for. "Here, take a look at this."

Jessica took Alex's phone from his hands and looked at what Alex wanted to show her. On the screen was a website that contained information about creatures that were a big part of a game that Alex used to play.

The current creature shown was humanoid and bipedal. It had big crimson eyes and a short green hair that was curling over its forehead and at the two sides of its face. It had three spikes on each side of its head. A big, purple spike was protruding its chest.

It had long thin legs without toes and it appeared to be wearing gown that was all white with exception of the underside that was green. It also had a ban of green that was extending to the center of the front horn and connected to its sleeve-like arms.

Observing the creature shown on the phone's screen, Jessica immediately realized one thing – this was almost identical to the creature that they brought to Alex's house.

She slowly looked at Alex with her eyes widened from shock and confusion.

"I told you." Alex simply said as he looked back at her. "I have seen something like it before. And now I know where."

"B-But they look a bit different." Jessica replied. "T-The one in the image has short hair that's green and the three spikes on the heads are shorter. Also, it doesn't have breasts. And its spike is larger than the other creature's."

"I guess there are few differences here and there, but the similarities are way more." Alex said. "I'm almost ready to confirm that this is in fact a _Pokémon_."

"A _Pokémon_?" Jessica asked. "Like, that game that you used to play so much before?"

"Yeah, the same one." Alex nodded. "You know, I've told you a lot about it. You go around and catch them. Then you train them in order to fight evil organizations and other trainers. Sounds a bit like animal cruelty though…"

"But that's about it! It's just a video game!" Jessica almost yelled out.

"Yet look at the phone. Then think back to what I was treating just minutes ago." Alex replied. "It can't be a mere coincidence. If it _is_ an alien like you said, then it's way too convenient for it to look so similar to an in-game character."

"But if it _is_ a _Pokémon_ like you said, then how is it real?" Jessica asked. "You just said it, they are simply in-game characters."

"Now this, even I don't know." Alex replied as Jessica handed him his phone back. "But, I'll find out."

"How? You will just ask her if she wakes up?" Jessica asked him.

"Yes, that's my plan. If she somehow got in here, then she oughta know how to get back to her world, no?"

"I guess you're right…" Jessica muttered out. "But what will you do if she attacks you?"

"I told you, that won't happen." Alex replied. "But if you're so concerned, I still have my knife with me. And I also have one in the guest room. If she does in fact attack, then I'll just defend myself. As I stated however, I doubt it will happen."

"But if she's a _Pokémon_ , you'll be easy prey for her, won't you?" Jessica asked.

"Maybe. Never fought one before." Alex replied with a slight giggle. "But it'll be fine. I believe she won't do anything to harm me."

"How are you so sure?" Jessica asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." Alex said with a sigh. "I just, _feel_ it. Don't ask me how, just accept it."

"*Sigh* You're either going insane or you're just trusting somebody way too easy…" Jessica said. "Either way, I'll support you. Just make sure it won't come to bite me in the ass afterwards."

"Can't promise anything." Alex said, with a wry grin. "But I'll try to comply."

"Well then, now that we resolved this issue, what do we do now?" Jessica asked.

"Well, it's pretty late already." Alex said as he glanced towards the clock. It read 12:07 AM. "I guess we can either go to sleep, or find something better to do."

Just as Jessica was about to reply, her phone began ringing. She quickly pulled her phone out and answered the call.

"Hello?" she asked as she picked up the phone. "Oh, hi Kylie! Nothing much, I'm with Alex. He got a bit of a… _trouble_."

"It's not trouble." Alex said to Jessica as he turned towards her. She just raised her hand against him.

"No, he's talking to me right now. Sorry." Jessica said. After a bit of silence, she spoke again. "Oh, was it _tonight_? I-I'm so sorry, I completely forgot… W-Well, I can't come right now, as I said, Alex has a bit of trouble here so I can't come, sorry."

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"I know that I promised, but it just popped up! I'm sorry, really! I'll make it up to you somehow!" Jessica said.

"Listen, if it's something important, just go. Don't worry about me." Alex said to Jessica while she was talking on the phone.

"No, I definitely wanted to come, but it just popped out! You know that I'd love to spend time with-" just as she was about to finish however, Alex took her phone and instead, put it on his ear.

"Sorry Kylie, do you mind if I have a small word with her? Don't hang up, we'll be done in a second." Alex said. He then turned towards Jessica.

"First of all, I'm sorry for taking the phone away from your ear, it was rude." he said while looking at Jessica. "Second of all, don't worry about me. I'll be fine on my own. Besides, you have promised to do whatever the two of you are talking about. You don't go back on a promise."

"I know, but-" Jessica began, only to be interrupted by Alex again.

"But nothing. Look, I appreciate that you're concerned for me, but I'll be fine on my own. You promised Kylie that you're gonna do whatever you're gonna do." Alex said. "Just go. I'll be fine. I swear."

"I can't leave you alone, idiot!" Jessica almost yelled out. "If nothing else, this situation is extraordinary! I can't leave you alone!"

"Yes, you can." Alex said. "Thank you for your concern, I really, _really_ appreciate it. But the promise you made with Kylie is more important."

"Yes, but…" Jessica murmured, but didn't finish her thoughts.

"Kylie, sorry for butting in." Alex said as he spoke through the phone. "I think we finally sorted it out though. Yeah, she'll come over. Yeah, don't worry. Yeah, sure, I'll tell her. Alright then, see ya. Yeah. Cheers!" Alex hanged up the phone and handed it to Jessica.

"Kylie said she'll be waiting for you at her house. She also said that you should hurry up since she also wanted you two to go somewhere."

"I see…" Jessica murmured. She sounded sad by what Alex could tell. He sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I didn't do it because I don't want you here. I did it because promises are important things. You _have_ to keep them. No matter what." Alex said. "As I said, I'm thankful for your concern, but don't cancel your other plans just because of me."

"But it's dangerous to leave you alone!" Jessica yelled out. "I don't care how many times you say you'll be fine! I'm worried, goddamit!"

"I know that you are." Alex simply said. "Thank you for being concerned. Just shows how good of a friend you are. I'll be fine. I guarantee it."

"I'm still worried." Jessica said.

"Listen, just go to the appointment you made with Kylie. You promised her." Alex sighed. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"*Sigh* There's no way I can make you change your mind, okay. We already went through this." Jessica sighed. "Alright then, I'll go. But I swear to god, if you're not here in the morning…"

"I'll be." Alex said. "Don't worry."

"*Sigh* Fiiiine. I'll go then. But just because you won't stop nagging me about it." Jessica said as she stood up from the sofa and began walking towards the front door.

"Victory achieved." Alex grinned as he went after her. "It's still raining outside though. Want one of my hoodies?"

"Thanks, but no." Jessica replied.

"You can't go outside like this though." Alex said. "You'll get all soaked."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Jessica replied.

"Nope." Alex said as he grabbed an umbrella that was put close to the door. "If not a hoodie, then take this at the very least."

"Fiiine." Jessica sighed as she took the umbrella. "Well then, I'll go. But I'll be here in the morning. And I better find you alive and well."

"Don't worry. You'll find me. As long as I'm not asleep." Alex said with a grin. "But you can wake me up when you arrive. If I'm asleep, that is."

"Ha-ha. Very funny." Jessica retorted.

"I know, that's my charm." Alex said. "Go now. Kylie's waiting for you."

"Right, right." Jessica said as she exited through the main door. "See you tomorrow then, I guess?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow." Alex said as he waved at her. Not long after, Jessica was already out of his field of vision.

He closed the door and locked it. He then yawned as he began making his way towards the living room.

As he entered the living room, he plopped down on the couch and looked at the time. It was 12:15 AM.

' _Welp, I'm not sleepy yet…'_ Alex thought to himself. _'Might as well watch some TV. Gotta kill some time.'_

He grabbed the remote that was laying close to him and turned the TV on. Scrolling back and forth through the channels, he tried to find a movie or anything to watch. After a bit of searching, he finally found a movie that caught his attention.

"Oh hey, I love 'Hot Shots 2'." he said to himself as he proceeded to watch the movie. Although seeing it multiple times, the movie was still interesting for him.

As the commercial break came, he quickly stood up from the sofa and sprang to the kitchen in the house. He grabbed some snacks and returned to the living room. The commercial break eventually ended. The movie continued from where it stopped. He leaned into the sofa and kept on watching.

{[Scene Break]}

The movie eventually ended. The food that Alex brought disappeared as it stood no chance against his mid-movie snacking.

Throwing the packages from the snacks away, he glanced towards the clock once more. Exactly 1:00 AM.

"Guess it's time to go to sleep, eh?" he said to himself as he began making his way to his room.

Just before he opened the door to his room however, he remembered that it was already occupied. He still proceeded to open the door however. For one, he wanted to see if the creature within was doing alright. And for two, he wanted to get some _equipment_.

As he entered his room, he first checked on the creature. It looked hurt, but in less pain than when it fainted in the forest. So maybe the patching up and the treatment that Alex used _might_ have been useful. He knew that he couldn't treat her effectively like in a hospital, but he didn't want to risk it by bringing her to one.

Once he made sure that the creature was fine, he went to his dresser. He grabbed another T-shirt and a second black hoodie. He then opened up the drawer at the bottom of the dresser. The same dresser that contained all of his precious knives.

' _Might as well get some more. Just in case.'_ he thought to himself. He grabbed a hunting knife, a pocket knife and five-six throwing knives. He put them on top of the fondled T-shirt and hoodie. Afterwards he proceeded to close the dresser and make his way towards the door.

Just before he left, he saw the creature move. She shifted her position on his bed, but didn't show any signs of waking up. He quickly closed the door behind him as he left the room.

Without a second thought, he began walking towards the guest room. As the name suggested, the room was specially made for when guests came over.

He decided to spend the night there. It was right next to his own room after all. That way he would hear if anything weird happens.

The guest room wasn't too big, but wasn't a small one either. It had a queen-sized bed, two bedside cabinets on either side of the bed, a desk and a mirror, a small TV and a small closet.

Upon entering the room, he first put all of his clothes on one of the bedside cabinets. He then proceeded to make his bed and prepare to go to sleep.

He began to strip all of his clothes until he was in nothing but his boxers. He left his phone on one of the bedside cabinets and slipped under the covers.

He stared at the ceiling for a while until his eyelids began to get heavier and heavier as time passed.

Eventually, he let the sleep overtake him as everything faded into blackness.

{[Scene Break]}

Alex opened his eyes. He found himself in an endless void. A place devoid of any light. Everything around him was black. Yet, he felt like he could see clearly. Instead of being blind like a mole, he could see. Although, there was nothing there that was worthy of seeing as the void ruled over.

"Where am I?" he asked himself as he looked around. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing around him.

 **"You're certainly an interesting individual. Just as I thought."** a familiar deep, gruff voice echoed through the void.

"You again?" Alex said as he looked around once again. "Who are you? Where are you? What are you? Where am I?"

 **"Curiosity killed the cat, you know?"** the voice replied with a slightly amused tone. **"Yet I doubt that the same will happen to you."**

"Look man, I've been through some stuff today. I'm positive that something weird is going on and although I should freak out, I just want answers." Alex said with a sigh.

 **"You stay calm even in such situations. Impressive, I guess Nherzul was right all along."** came the unidentified voice's reply.

"I'm not even gonna ask who that is." Alex said. "But I wanna know at least where I am. _At least_ that man, c'mon!"

 **"You're inside your mind. Your 'subconsciousness', as people call it."** the voice replied.

"I knew I should've paid more attention in the Psychology classes…" Alex muttered to himself as he scratched the back of his head. "Okay then. Now to the more important question - What are you doing inside my head?"

 **"The answer to your question will be revealed in time. But since it's an answer you seek, you may say that I'm simply an observer of your actions."** the voice replied. **"You're entertaining, youngling."**

"Thanks, I guess." Alex said. "Okay, I just wanna make sure – Are you real? Am I going insane or you're actually _something_ from out there that's speaking with me?"

 **"Don't worry. You're not going insane. I am as real as the world you're living in."** came the voice's reply.

"Well, that's a relief, I guess." Alex sighed in relief. A thought then struck him. "Wait, if you're in fact real, then you won't mind showing what you look like, right?"

 **"This is not necessary."** the voice growled out. **"It's for your greater good. You have to listen to me."**

"No way." Alex replied. "If you want me to trust you, then you'll reveal yourself."

 **"Even though I must assure that no harm comes to you, it's not in your best interest to challenge me."** The voice replied.

"I'm not going back on my word." Alex replied. "I told you. If you want my trust, then earn it."

A silence followed. Alex was glaring at the nothingness, eager for a response. Not long after, a light, but gruff giggle was heard.

 **"Hmpf. You're indeed entertaining. Even more than I thought."** the voice said. **"Very well, then. I shall reveal myself to you."**

After the voice said that, bright light illuminated the void all around Alex. He shielded his eyes from the bright light with both of his hands. Not long after, the light died down.

Alex put his hands down and opened his eyes. Everything around him was still black, yet right in front of him was a glowing white crack. It was enormous in size, easily at least 20 times bigger than him.

Just as he was about to say something, a loud growl came from inside the crack. The void then began shaking. Alex fell on his back in result of the shaking. Light blinded his vision once again. He closed his eyes in an attempt to escape the blinding light.

 **"Behold, youngling!"** the same gruff, deep voice said. It was stronger than before and much more intimidating.

Alex opened his eyes. His eyes widened in both shock and awe.

In front of him stood an enormous, white, Western dragon. The dragon had a muscular body, a long, thick neck, a horned head and sinuous tail.

Its wings were enormous, way bigger than anything Alex could've imagined. What was interesting was the fact that the dragon had _two_ pairs of wings, with the second pair being smaller than the first one.

Its eyes had a large iris and vertical pupil, like a cat. The color of the eyes themselves was a mixture of red, blue, yellow, green, purple and some other colors that Alex couldn't name.

The dragon stood proudly before him, eyeing him and smirking slightly. At least that's what it looked like to Alex.

"Y-You're…" Alex managed to say as he got back on his feet only to take a few steps back. "You're a dragon?!"

 **"Indeed I am."** the dragon replied. **"I am your observer, advisor… and partner."**

"P-P-Partner?! W-W-What d-do you mean with that?!" Alex asked as he struggled to catch his breath.

 **"Remember youngling, patience is a virtue. Do not ask unnecessary questions. It'll only turn for the worse."** the dragon said. **"It's not the time to reveal such details here and now. It will just confuse you more."**

Alex didn't reply. He wanted to ask so many things, he wanted answers to so many questions, but no sound managed to come out of his mouth. He just stood there and stared in awe at the white dragon in front of him.

" **Besides…"** the dragon spoke again. **"you'll find the answers to your questions on your own, sooner or later. For now, just go with the little piece of advice I'll give you."**

"What that might be?" Alex asked.

 **"You found the 'Key'. It's your duty to keep it safe. No harm must come to it."** the dragon said.

"By 'key', you mean the creature that me and Jessica found, right?" Alex asked. He only received a small nod from the dragon.

A short silence followed. Neither the dragon nor Alex said anything. They just stood quietly and stared at each other. The silence was short-lived however as Alex decided to break it.

"What's so important about the 'Key'? Why must I protect _her_?" Alex asked.

 **"The 'Key' is an important part of an incoming conflict. A conflict between worlds."** the dragon subtly explained. **"The well-being of the 'Key' is essential for Earth's victory or defeat."**

"A conflict between words?" Alex asked. "What kind of conflict? Why?"

 **"When the time is right, young one."** the dragon replied. **"You'll find out what I mean when the time is right."**

"Why must I guard her, though? There's oughta be someone out there that'd be better than me at this." Alex said. The dragon sighed and shook his head.

 **"You have to place more faith in yourself, youngling."** the dragon said. **"It will help you achieve more things. Just accept the fact that this is your destiny. You were born to be a** _ **protector**_ **."**

"A _protector_? What do you mean by that?" Alex asked.

 **"You'll find out when the time comes."** the dragon simply said.

"This again?" Alex asked with a sigh. "Listen, I need to know some stuff if you want me to do the things you're saying."

 **"And you will."** the dragon replied. **"But you will learn what you need to know in due time. For now, just take care of the 'Key'. When the time comes, all the answers will be revealed."**

"You want me to be patient, then?" Alex asked, only to receive a nod from the dragon. "Jesus Christ… Alright then, I'll be patient. I just hope it won't come to bite me in the ass afterwards though…"

 **"Don't worry. Such a thing won't happen."** the giant reptile said. A silence then followed. Shortly afterwards, the dragon broke it. **"Oh, our time is up?"**

"What? What do you mean by that?" Alex asked him.

 **"We have limited time even in your subconsciousness."** the dragon replied. **"Once the limit is reached, you'll get in a state of dreamless sleep. When you wake up, you'll remember everything that we talked about here."**

"So, we can only speak for a limited amount of time, then?" Alex asked only for the dragon to nod in response. "That's dumb."

 **"I shall go now. Remember what I told you. Keep the 'Key' safe."** the dragon said as he turned around and began to walk towards the glowing white crack in the void.

"Wait! At least tell me your name before you go!" Alex yelled out at the dragon.

The dragon stopped and looked at Alex for a bit. He then smirked and turned towards the crack again.

 **"My name is Tenanth, The Eternal One."** the dragon, now known as Tenanth, replied. **"We shall meet once again soon enough, youngling."**

With that, Tenanth entered the crack. As his whole massive body was inside the crack, the crack closed itself and everything around Alex was just blackness again.

"See you later, I guess." Alex muttered to himself. He stood there alone with the endless void around him.

Soon afterwards, he felt his body lifting off the 'ground' beneath him. His body felt weightless. His mind felt calm and empty. He closed his eyes as his body kept floating around.

Soon enough, he felt himself dozing off inside his head. He was falling asleep again.

What followed next was just darkness. Cold, unbearable, endless darkness. It was much worse than the void he was in just minutes ago. He didn't know why, however.

He felt as if he was dead. As if he just left his body and was now making his way to the purgatory.

As he floated around with his eyes closed, Alex had only one thing in mind:

' _Please tell me that this is what Tenanth was talking about...'_

{[Scene End]}

* * *

 **Thus, the chapter comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed it! And if you did, please make sure to leave me feedback! Always glad when I see those numbers on my screen go up!**

 **So, yah, the story will be progressing slowly for now. I'm focusing more on the Slice Of Life stuff for now, since I wanna have some build-up for when the actual plot comes into play. Bear with me! ^^;**

 **I would like to inform all of you, my dear readers, that the next chapter won't be out soon. I'll be going on a vacation for a week and I doubt that I'll be feeling like writing, so, yeah. Chapter 4 is still in the works, I have yet to polish it a bit before sending it to my Beta readers. So, yah. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

 **With that aside, I would like to thank my Beta readers once more for their good work! Thank you randomhairz and Agent of the Divine One! Your help is irreplaceable and I'm extremely grateful for what you're doing!**

 **I guess that's all I have to say so far. See you again soon!**

' _ **Stay awesome!'**_

 **\- Xeroz/Xerozzuro**


	4. Chapter 4

**Greetings, everyone. Xeroz here. How are you doing? I hope you're all having a great day so far!**

 **Anyways, I think I should explain why didn't I upload for such a long time.**

 **Well, frankly, school began and I'm currently in an enormous pile of homework and assignments… Hooray for school, yeah?**

 **Honestly, I barely found time working on this story, keeping in mind that I wanted to work on my other ones. I am also currently busy with a project that takes up the majority of my time, so there's that as well.**

 **Overall, I'm sorry that this update took so long. I'll try to make sure I don't take** _ **too much**_ **time with the next chapters. However, I can't promise anything.**

 **With my ramblings aside and without further ado, let's jump into the story.**

* * *

 _ **Key:**_

"Speech"

 _'Thought'_

 _"[Mind link]"_

 _" **Pokéspeech"**_

 _:_ _Phone calls_ _:_

 _" **Tenanth's speech"**_

*Action, Background action*

(Author remarks, rant, whatever)

 _{[Flashback/Start/End]}_

{[Scene Break/Start/End]}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Pokémon or its characters.** **It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **More Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own any of the games, companies, websites, etc. mentioned through this story. Their sole purpose in this story is to add some detail.** **All the rights go to their respective owners.**

 **I** _ **do**_ **claim ownership of my OCs and plot of this story however, as well as the story itself.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

{[Scene Start]}

Morning came. The birds were chirping as the small near-mountain town was being illuminated by the sun, shining in the horizon.

The mornings in the small town were usually quiet and uneventful. People were walking back and forth, hurrying for work or any other place they had to be. This morning was no different for the rest of the town's residents.

This did not apply for Alex, though.

The guest room, which Alex occupied last night was being illuminated by the sun's light. He was stirring in his bed, turning back and forth slowly.

Eventually, his eyes opened. He let out a quiet yawn as he slowly sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the sleep in them.

Oddly enough, he felt tired. It felt as if he never went to sleep. He gave that some thought, but then he remembered what happened.

He remembered the void, the weird voice and finally… the enormous white dragon. He remembered the conversation he had with him.

' _So that's what he meant when he said I'll have a dreamless sleep…'_ Alex thought to himself. _'Still, couldn't I at least get_ some _rest? I think I pretty damn good deserved it…'_

Sighing, he decided to carry out his usual morning routine. Removing the blanket that was covering his body, he swung his feet across the bed and stood up.

He began making his way towards the bathroom. The usual routine followed – he brushed his teeth and washed his face.

He then returned to the room. Just as he was about to dress himself, he noticed that he forgot to get himself pants last night.

' _Welp, great.'_ he thought to himself. _'Maybe I can go get some from my room… Hopefully I won't wake_ her _up.'_

With that thought in mind, Alex went to his room. He slowly opened the door, only to find the creature sleeping deeply on his bed. She still looked hurt and was grimacing in pain even when sleeping, but at least it wasn't as bad as when Alex and Jessica found her.

He grabbed a pair of jeans from his wardrobe and quickly left the room, trying not to make a noise. He left his room and closed the door behind him.

He then returned to the guest room where he changed his clothes. He turned on his phone only to find out that he has slept through 10 missed calls. All of them from the one and only Jessica.

"You really worry too damn much, Jess…" Alex mumbled to himself out loud, letting out a faint giggle. He decided to call her back, just to make sure that she won't worry.

He dialed up her number and waited for her to pick up her phone. Not long after, he heard her voice on the other side.

 _About frickin' time, moron!_ Jessica yelled out through the phone.

:"I'm glad to hear from you too.": Alex replied with a laugh. "I hope your morning's been good so far!"

 _:Shut up! Do you know how fucking worried I was?!:_ Jessica asked. Although she sounded furious, Alex knew that it was nothing like this. She was just worried.

"Yeah, sorry. Usually I'd hear it and wake up, but I've been having some weird dreams." Alex replied. "Not to mention, I feel fucked up right now. As if I didn't have any rest while sleeping…"

 _:You tell me about restless nights… We didn't even go to sleep.:_ she said with a yawn.

"Sorry to hear that. I feel like your nights out are crazier than mine and Kyle's." Alex said. "I'm always curious as of what you're doing."

 _:I'll tell you some other time.:_ Jessica replied. _:Now, what was that about the strange dream?:_

"You _won't_ believe this, but I finally learned who was talking in my head." Alex said. "You know, the deep and gruff voice."

 _:You saw it? In your dream?:_ Jessica asked.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't a dream." Alex replied as he finally sat down on the bed. "There was some black space, like, there was nothing around me. Yet, it felt like I could see everything despite the 'room' being dark as fuck. Then out of nowhere I hear the voice again…"

 _:And?:_ Jessica urged him to continue.

"I began asking questions. I asked who's there, who's talking, stuff like that." Alex continued. "Then after some convincing from my side, this huge-ass white dragon appeared before me. He said that he's here to advise me and observe me."

 _:A dragon?:_ Jessica asked. Her tone was one of doubt.

"I swear to God, it was a huge dragon." Alex said. "It spoke about the 'Key' once more. He even confirmed that he's talking about the _Pokémon_ we found."

 _:We're not sure if it's a Pokémon though…:_ Jessica interrupted him. _:Anyways, continue.:_

"Then he said that I must protect her." Alex continued with his story. "He also said something about task, or something like that. When I asked him why, he told me that all of my answers would be answered in time. He said he couldn't answer them because it'll just confuse me more."

 _:That's a lame excuse.:_ Jessica commented.

"I know, right?" Alex replied. "Nevertheless, he refused to answer some of my questions, so I just dropped it. He said that I must take care of _her_ since, apparently she's important for Earth's victory or defeat. In what, I don't know."

"He then said that 'our time is up', so he wanted to leave." Alex continued. "I asked him for his name. He said that his name is Tenanth, The Eternal One, I think. He then left and after that, I just don't remember…"

 _:…What kinds of drugs are you taking?:_ Jessica asked after a brief silence.

"I swear, this happened." Alex said. "It was almost real, I remember most of it clearly. He even said that we're in my subconsciousness!"

 _:You sure you're not making this up?:_ Jessica asked.

"Why would I make this up?!" Alex almost yelled out in frustration. "I swear, it happened! The dragon was there! And he was fucking real!"

 _:Okay, okay! I'm sorry!:_ Jessica replied. _:It's just… kinda hard to process all of this at once…:_

"I know…" Alex sighed. "Guess it's just the tiredness talking through me… Sorry for yelling at you."

 _:It's okay. Don't worry about it.:_ Jessica replied. _:However… What happened with the creature? Is she_ _okay?:_

"I went to my room earlier to get some clothes…" Alex began. "She seemed fine, but it was as if the wounds and her body still hurt."

 _:What do we do now, though?:_ Jessica asked. _:I guess I can't talk with you about handing her_ _to the authorities, am I right?:_

"Damn straight." Alex replied. "Besides, Tenanth said that I should protect her, so if not anything else, she'll stay here until we figure out where she came from."

 _:What if she_ _doesn't want to?:_ Jessica asked. _:What do we do then?:_

"We can't stop her if she doesn't want to." Alex replied. "But I'll at least try to talk with her. Maybe I'll be able to change hermind if she decides not to stay."

 _:Okay, look… I'll come to your house in a bit. We gotta talk about this.:_ Jessica said. _:In the meantime, keep a close eye on the creature.:_

"Aye aye captain, I live to serve." Alex replied sarcastically. "Anyways, I'll be waiting for ya. See you when you get here."

 _:Right. See you in a bit.:_ Jessica replied as she hung up the phone.

Alex put his phone in his pocket. He then grabbed his hunting knife and put it in his other pocket. Afterwards, he left the guest room. He decided not to disturb the 'guest' in his room _just yet_.

He decided to get some food for the weird being that was occupying his bed first. After all, he knew that shewould be hungry.

He opened the fridge and grabbed whatever fruits he found in it. He got some apples, two handfuls of blueberries and two or three peaches.

After putting all of them in a bowl, he proceeded to pour some water in a cup and placed it next to the bowl with the fruits. He put both the bowl and the cup on a small tray. After this was done, he began making his way to his room with the tray in hands.

As he finally reached his room, he opened the door slowly and peeked inside. The alien had changed its position on his bed and now Alex could see herface clearly. He put the tray on the bedside cabinet by the bed and looked at the 'alien'.

She seemed to be in pain since she was trembling and gritting her teeth slightly. Yet she wasn't trembling as hard as she was when he first treated her wounds. This led him to believe that she was getting better. All that was left was for her to wake up.

However, Alex was a little scared. What will he say when she wakes up? Will she understand him? Will she try to attack him?

Many scenarios went through his head. He had no idea what was he supposed to expect once she was awake. Would she act aggressively as Jessica warned him? Or would she be scared?

The train of thoughts in his head was suddenly stopped as he saw her eyes begin to flutter. A gentle groan escaped her lips as she turned her head slightly towards him.

' _Moment of truth, then.'_ he thought to himself.

Her eyes opened ever so slightly. Alex caught his breath. Her eyes... No, _she herself_ was absolutely magnificent. Her eyes were like two perfectly formed sapphires, shining in the sunlight coming off the nearby window.

Alex stared into her beautiful eyes, until a weak scream pulled him out of his trance.

He looked at her and noticed that she was… frightened? She crawled almost all the way to the end of the bed, gripping the bed sheets tightly as her whole body trembled.

It then downed on him. The reason she was acting like this, the reason why she was scared. They were standing in front of her.

Her eyes began glowing faintly as a bright blue light enveloped Alex's body. He couldn't feel nor control his body and he felt that he was getting lifted off the floor slowly.

Not even a second after though, he heard yet another weak grunt as he was back on the floor with his body back in control. He looked towards the creature on his bed and saw her gripping her head with her eyes closed.

She looked at him again, even more frightened than she already was.

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" he said as he slowly raised his hands and took a step back. "I-I'm not going to hurt you! Please calm down!"

She hid behind the bed sheets that she was gripping. She clenched them tightly, afraid to let go. Who was that person? What did he want? Where was she? Would he hurt her? Those were just some of the many questions that went through her head.

"Can you… understand me?" Alex asked her as he slowly put his hands back down.

She slowly uncovered her eyes and looked at the stranger. Was he talking to her?

"Can you understand me?" he asked again, using signs as well. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She uncovered her whole face. The fear was still evident through her eyes. Her big, beautiful blue eyes.

Still, she nodded slowly. She indeed understood him, but she couldn't understand why was he asking such a thing.

"I see. That's good news, then." he said.

Although she was still scared, her curiosity was taking over as more and more questions began to form inside her head. Still, thinking over them on her own wasn't going to do any good.

An idea then hit her.

" **W-Who are you? And where am I?"** she asked the person that stood before her. However, she was greeted with nothing but a confused expression.

'Gardevoir garde gar devoir. Garde gardevoir.' was all that Alex heard as the being in front of him spoke. And it made no sense. But it confirmed something:

The being in front of him _indeed was_ a Gardevoir.

Still, he couldn't understand her, which would've proven to be an issue.

"I'm sorry, but I can't understand you." Alex replied as he scratched the back of his head. "That's a bit weird though… I could understand you perfectly back when I found you in the forest…"

" **The forest…?"** she looked at him curiously. It all came back to her then. The Houndoom pack, her running away from them, the blinding white light, the pain she was feeling, her cries of help…

"I don't know how I managed to understand you, but there's gotta be a way to do that again…" he said mostly to himself while observing her. She seemed to be thinking about something.

While thinking, she looked at his face once again. Her eyes widened slightly. Although it was just for a moment, she was certain that she saw his face back in the forest, but at that point, she really thought it was an illusion. He was talking about… treating her?

She looked at her hands. Bandages were placed over the places that she had cuts and wounds on. The place where she was burned was wrapped in a fresh bandage. Although her wounds still hurt, she felt much better than when back in the forest.

Did this person actually… treat her?

" **Y-You treated me?"** she asked him.

"Sorry, there's still this little issue with our communication…" he replied.

She looked down at her hands again. Then it dawned her. He used gestures to talk with her earlier on, right? She decided to put her theory on the test and asked her question once again.

" **Did you treat me?"** she asked as she pointed at the bandages and then at Alex, mimicking the motions that Alex made earlier.

"Oh! You ask if I bandaged you?" Alex asked, receiving a small nod from the Gardevoir. "Yes, I did. Are you feeling better?"

" **I am. Thank you."** she nodded as she replied, although she was aware of the fact that he still couldn't understand her.

Alex let out a small smile at the Gardevoir in front of him. Although she was now attempting to communicate, Alex was still able to see that she was still scared. Then again, who would blame her?

Still, Alex wanted to change that. He didn't want to scare her. He wanted to help her. And if she was scared of him, then that wouldn't help him at all.

"Listen, I know that you're still scared, and… honestly, I don't blame you." Alex said, grabbing the Gardevoir's attention. "But I promise you, I won't hurt you. There's nothing to be afraid of."

' _ **H-He won't hurt me?'**_ the Gardevoir thought to herself. _**'Can I… trust him? What if he turns out to be like…**_ **him…?** _ **'**_

Alex was observing the Gardevoir while she was deep in thought. She seemed quite lost right now. Not to mention that something painful was going through her head. The fear in her eyes was replaced with… sadness?

While thinking, a small tear rolled from her eye down the cheek. Alex immediately noticed it, but didn't do anything. He didn't want to scare her more, after all. But as another tear rolled down her cheek, Alex decided to try and comfort her.

"L-Listen…" he spoke quietly. "I-I know that you won't simply believe me by saying that, but…" he suddenly stopped. He didn't think it out that far ahead. He simply wanted to make her stop crying, but he still failed.

" **But what...?"** the Gardevoir asked. Another tear rolled down her eye, but she wiped it off before Alex could see it.

"But I need you to." Alex replied. "Please. Please, just… _try_ to believe me. Please."

She didn't know how to react. He seemed… desperate. But why? Did he really want to help her? Was he really not going to hurt her? Was he… different?

She wanted to make sure, if not for anything else. It then dawned on her.

She was a psychic. She could easily form a link with him through her mind and see if he what he's saying is true or not. It was something her family has taught her long ago.

The problem was the link itself. She has never done it before, but there is a first time for everything… right?

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. She tried to reach out to him with her mind and form a link, but failed as her head began hurting quite badly. She grasped her head with both her hands as she let out a silent groan of pain.

"A-Are you okay?!" Alex asked as he took a step forward, only for her to crawl further away. Just as he thought, she was still scared.

He waited for her to stop gripping her head so that he could talk with her and make sure she's alright. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to wait long. She soon put her hands down and began breathing heavily.

"Try not to waste your energy, you're still weak." Alex said. "You still need time to recover."

She didn't say anything. She just turned her head towards him, staring in his icy blue eyes. She tried to study him. She couldn't reach his mind, so maybe his expression would tell her a bit more about him?

Their little staring contest was cut short though as the sound of her stomach growling rang through the silent room. She blushed bright red and turned her head away from Alex, trying to hide her face with her hair.

Alex let out a faint giggle. He slowly began walking towards her while she just observed him, unable to even move due to the headache. He took the tray that was laying on the bedside cabinet and put it on the bed, just a few inches away from her.

"No need to be scared. I won't hurt you, see?" Alex said as he took one of the blueberries on the tray and showed it to her. "I don't know what you can and cannot eat, but I think you should be able to eat fruits."

She reached out with her hand and shakingly took the berry from his hand. He didn't do anything to her, so she breathed out a sigh of relief. She began to inspect the weird fruit in her hand. What was this? Was it poisonous?

"This is a blueberry." Alex said while watching her inspecting it. "It's food. Quite sweet one at that."

She still looked confused despite his words. Although it did look good, she didn't want to take any chances by eating it.

"Don't worry, it's not poisonous." Alex said. "I promise."

She still wasn't convinced though. She really wanted to trust him, but she couldn't. She just met him, after all.

Alex obviously noticed the hesitation written on her face. She was doubting him and his intentions. Really though, can anyone blame her for doing so?

"Let me prove it." Alex said as he reached with his hand and grabbed a blueberry from the tray. He then proceeded to eat the fruit, savoring its taste.

An audible gulping sound was heard as the blueberry that Alex just ate began travelling down his throat. He looked back at the Gardevoir that was staring at him.

He just ate one of _these_ and nothing was happening to him. So, maybe they were safe?

She didn't really want to think much of it. She was hungry and she was offered food that seemed to be safe. Who would turn down such an offer?

She finally set her mind and drove the berry to her mouth. She began chewing slowly as the sweet juices of the blueberry filled her mouth. It tasted amazing!

She reached towards the bowl and grabbed some more, eating them hastily. Soon enough the blueberries in the bowl ran out, but she still seemed hungry.

She looked down towards the tray laying a couple of inches away from her. Upon seeing that the tasty little fruits had ran out, she let out a sad sigh.

"The rest of those are for you as well." Alex said as he pointed towards the rest of the fruits. "They're good."

She was still doubting him, but right now her hunger needed to be satisfied. She reached towards the apples and grabbed two of them, holding one in each hand. She hastily bit off the apples, savoring their taste.

Not too long after, all of the apples were gone too with only the peaches remaining. The peaches had no chance against the Gardevoir's hunger and in under three minutes, they were gone as well.

Alex silently giggled as he observed the Gardevoir eating all of the fruits in such a short amount of time. Just how long did she have to go without food?

"Are you still hungry? I can bring you some more food." Alex suggested, earning a curt nod from the Gardevoir. "Alright then, I'll be right back." And with that, he walked out of the room and went to the kitchen.

The fruits that the human male offered to her did give her some energy, enough for her to sit up completely without the need to support herself with her hands. Despite that however, her body was still hurting. Not as much as when she was back in that forest, but they still hurt.

She tried moving her legs, but the sharp pain caused by it quickly made her rethink. For now, she was stuck in that room, on that bed with that blue-eyed human male.

Speaking of the human, this was the first time she saw him up-close and personal without blacking out immediately afterwards. Back in the forest, all that she saw was white hair, gentle blue eyes and a voice that sounded… almost soothing.

Deep inside, she was scared. The humans aren't the nicest beings and she learned that lesson long ago. Yet, this boy was different. He had such a warm and welcoming smile and a sincere care in his voice when he spoke to her. She also couldn't help but admire how _handsome_ he looked.

All of these thoughts flooding her head made her lose her perception of time and before she knew it, Alex was back with more fruits for her.

"Here you go." he said as he put the fruits close to her. "I see that you're a bit better now. Do you still hurt?"

She grabbed another apple and nodded before biting off of it.

"I see." Alex said with a sigh. "Well, there isn't much I can do, so I just hope it stops as time passes."

A silence then ensued in the room as the Gardevoir ate the last of the remaining fruits that Alex brought for her. After she was done, she turned towards Alex that was sitting on a chair near the bed she was laying on.

He seemed to not pay attention to her or anything else at the moment. He was just staring at the nothingness.

" **Um…"** the Gardevoir said, trying to get his attention. It seemed to work as he immediately turned towards her. **"Thank you for the food."**

"Sorry, I still can't quite get what you are saying." Alex said. "You want more food? Is that what you're trying to say?"

She shook her head no, trying to think of a way to explain what she's trying to tell him. She couldn't think of anything though.  
Then it hit her.

Now that she was fed, maybe she could use her powers and form the link that she thought of earlier. Not wasting any time, she turned towards Alex and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate.

"Umm, are you-" Alex began, but was interrupted as the Gardevoir's eyes suddenly opened, startling him. Her eyes were glowing in a bright blue light that made him shiver.

He froze in his place. His head began to hurt badly, although not as bad as when he was in the forest. After a second, the pain was gone and he was in control of his body again.

"What… what was that?" he quietly said while panting.

[I-I hope that w-worked…] a gentle, feminine voice rang through Alex's head.

He widened his eyes. He recognized the voice! It was the same voice that he heard in the forest last night in the forest!

He turned towards the Gardevoir, only to see her visibly more tired now and using her hands to support herself. She was breathing heavily with her eyelids half-closed.

"Is-is that you in my head?" Alex asked her.

[S-So it worked?!] the voice in Alex's head asked as the Gardevoir widened her eyes. [C-Can you hear me? Can you understand me?]

"Yeah, your voice is ringing through my head!" Alex replied. "I can understand you clearly now! How are you speaking in my head?"

[T-Through my mind…] the Gardevoir replied, still visibly tired. As it seemed, she needed some time to recover, but she kept talking to Alex regardless. [This-this is a mind link. W-We can establish it in order to speak with others that do not understand us.]

"So last night in the forest… it really _was_ you!" Alex exclaimed. "I had some doubts in the beginning, but it was you all along!"

[S-So I have reached out to someone… I thought I was just hallucinating…] the Gardevoir replied as she slowly sat up. [Y-You saved me…]

"I did." Alex nodded. "Though, I wouldn't call it 'saving'. If it wasn't for my body acting weird I wouldn't have even entered the forest."

[But you treated my wounds and… fed me.] the Gardevoir replied. [If it wasn't for you, I might have… I might have…] she began to tear up.

Alex immediately noticed it and was quick to try and comfort her.

"Don't think about that." Alex said. "You're fine. Was it fate, you, or something else that brought me to you, it helped you. You'll be fine."

[But… why go through the trouble to save me? To treat me?] the Gardevoir asked as she looked straight into his icy blue eyes.

Alex took some time to answer that. Mainly because he himself wasn't certain at first.

"Because you were hurt." Alex replied. "I couldn't leave you there."

[But why?] the Gardevoir asked. [What do you get from this?]

"It's not for benefit or something." Alex shook his head. "It's because I was there and I was able to help. If I had left you there to suffer from your wounds, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself for it."

The Gardevoir was surprised at the answer the boy gave her. Why would a human save her? Why would a human do it simply out of good will? Aren't humans cruel and self-centred? Aren't humans… treating them like slaves?

Tears began rolling off her cheeks again. Once again, Alex was fast to notice it and walked to the bed. He kneeled down next to it, but didn't dare touch her.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?" Alex asked. "Are you hurting somewhere?"

[Why would you…] the Gardevoir said quietly in his head.

"What?" he asked.

[Why would you do that?] the Gardevoir repeated louder in his head.

"I told you, it was because-" he began only to be interrupted.

[I DON'T BELIEVE THAT!] the Gardevoir yelled out. She looked at Alex with eyes full of angry tears. [GOOD WILL?! IN HUMANS?! I DON'T BELIEVE THAT!]

Alex didn't reply. Her yelling in his head caught him by surprise.

[ALL OF THE HUMANS I'VE MET, THEY TREAT US LIKE MONSTERS! LIKE SLAVES!] she kept yelling in his head. [WHY WOULD YOU BE ANY DIFFERENT?!]

Alex looked away for a second. He took a deep breath and answered her question as calmly as possible.

"Because I'm not 'all of the humans'." Alex replied while looking her in the eyes. "I am not perfect, I highly doubt I'm a good person too. As stupid as it sounds though, the only reason I brought you here and treated you was because I saw you needed help."

She didn't reply. The anger in her eyes was now replaced with confusion. Alex didn't stop there though.

"It's not for benefit or something. It's simply because you needed help and I was able to provide. It seemed like _the right thing to do_." Alex said. "It's up to you whether to believe me or not."

She didn't say anything. She just hung her head down.

This had to be another trick. Or maybe… This boy, could he be different than… _him_? What if he was telling the truth?

She had to make sure. She wanted to be certain that she can trust him, that he won't use her, that he won't force her.

She looked at him once more with her eyes glowing in soft blue light. Alex was looking at her too, but he didn't say or do anything. He was just awaiting her response.

His mind was now fully exposed to her. The mind link she formed just now allowed her to see into his mind, to see his intentions, to make sure he's not lying.

Although she expected to find lies and evil thoughts, she was surprised to find out that he wasn't lying. His thoughts were mostly pure and he didn't have any evil or sick intentions. Finding out that what he said was true all along made her feel bad for yelling at him just a second ago.

Her eyes stopped glowing and she looked away blushing.

[So you…] she began [you weren't lying…]

"I'm not lying." Alex nodded. "But how did you find out?"

[T-The mind link.] she replied. [It allows me to see into your mind. I saw… I saw that you're not evil… that you're not lying…]

"So you can see into my mind?" Alex asked as his eyes widened. _'Crap, crap, crap! I just hope she didn't see all…_ these. _'_

[I can.] she turned around and nodded. [I saw that… you're not an evil person…]

"I see…" he said as he looked into her beautiful clear blue eyes. "So, are you better now? Knowing that I won't hurt you and stuff."

[Yes.] she nodded once more. She then frowned and looked away with a blush forming on her face. [I-I'm sorry…]

"Huh?" Alex let out a surprised hum. "Sorry for what?"

[For yelling at you and judging you without knowledge.] she replied. [I was taught to not judge a book by its cover, and yet I yelled at you like that for nothing.]

"Ah, that." he said as he scratched the back of his head. "Don't worry, there's nothing to apologize for. I assume you've had some bad interactions with humans before… still, it's okay. Don't worry about it."

[Bad… interactions…? Yes, you could call it that way…] she said quietly in his head.

"Well, whatever it was, I'll try my best not to give you a hard time." Alex replied.

She nodded, but didn't say anything. She was staring at the nothingness, still not facing Alex. It was pretty silent, but Alex wanted to change that. He had some questions that he wanted answered.

"Uhm…" he muttered to grab the Gardevoir's attention.

[What is it?] she asked as she turned towards him.

"Well, I met you just last night and I still haven't gotten to know you…" he said with a light chuckle. "I still have no idea what's happening. I just began hearing voices and all… it's pretty weird, I wanna make sense of some stuff."

[Voices?] she asked.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Alex shook his head. "The issue with the voices was solved. I'm not going insane, at least."

"Although…" he continued, "there are some things that I wanna confirm."

[W-What do you mean?] she asked.

"Well, when we first found you in the forest, I immediately got the impression that I've seen you somewhere else." he replied. "Turns out, it's not _you_ that I've seen, but your race."

[My… race?] she tilted her head slightly with her eyes filled with confusion.

"I've come to the conclusion that you're a Pokémon. A Gardevoir, to be precise." Alex said as he stared into her eyes. "Am I correct?"

The Gardevoir didn't reply immediately. She was looking for a way to reply. Although she saw inside his mind, she was still wary of him and ready to strike if it had to come down to it.

After giving it some thought though, she decided to reply honestly. As wary as she was, she couldn't deny that the boy didn't have any bad intentions. But even if he had, she was now able to defend herself.

[Yes. That's right.] she nodded. [Where have you seen us?]

"On a place called 'Internet'." Alex replied as he pulled out his phone and turned it on.

[W-What is that?] the Gardevoir asked shakingly, seemingly terrified by Alex's phone.

"Oh, don't worry about it." he replied. "It's a phone. You use it to call and text people. At times you can also look for information."

[I-It's not dangerous, is it?] she asked after hearing Alex's explanation.

"Not at all." he replied while moving his finger across it. "Although if you ask my mother she'll just yell that it's dangerous and will make me stupid."

Silence fell for the next half minute, until Alex's voice broke it.

"Here." he said and handed the phone to the Gardevoir. "This is a page that displays information about you and your race."

The Gardevoir took the strange device in her hands and looked at it. The object was light, in grey color. It was showing a picture of a Gardevoir that looked almost like her, but thinner, with green body and with much shorter hair. Around the picture was a wall of text that she was not able to read.

[This is…] she muttered out.

"Yeah, it's not 100% same, but I mean, you look alike." Alex said. "But yeah, basically I found out that you're not an alien, but a Pokémon. Still, it doesn't really make much sense…"

[What doesn't?] she looked at Alex with a questioning look.

"Well, see…" he began as he scratched his head. "The only thing that we, the humans, know about Pokémon is not due to us living with them and observing them."

This caught the Gardevoir by surprise. They don't live with them? Then how do they know about them?

[B-But the picture and the text… you managed to tell what I am…] she said in perplexity.

"See, all of the information we got about Pokémon is from a series of video games." Alex said bluntly. "Pokémon… they don't exist here. They are simply characters in a video game that you go around and catch."

At this point, the Gardevoir was officially lost and confused. Video games? Pokémon don't exist? Despite the Pokémon not existing there are enormous walls of texts about them on a place called 'Internet'?  
Just where was she and how did she get there?

[T-This doesn't make any sense… if Pokémon don't exist, then how am I here?] she asked. [How am I talking to you?]

"I… I don't know." Alex replied. "It makes no sense for you to crawl out of a video game, so I thought you'd have the answer. Instead, we're both left with nothing."

[But I, I remember being chased by a pack of Houndoom!] she exclaimed. [Do those don't exist here either?]

"They are in the video games, but that's all." Alex sighed. "You won't see them outside walking next to people."

She didn't say anything else. Silence filled the room once more. Thoughts began flooding her head.

Where was she? Who was this white-haired boy? Why was he so… pure? Why are there no Pokémon roaming around the world? Why are Pokémon only in something called a 'Video Game'? Why are there long texts about them if they don't actually exist? And if they don't actually exist, then where did she come from? Where did she end up being? Can he return to her home?

Those were only a small part of the questions that flooded her head. She kept thinking and thinking, trying to find an answer to those burning questions.

 _No matter how hard she tried to, new questions kept appearing. Over and over._

{[Scene End]}

* * *

 **Thus, chapter 4 comes to an end.**

 **First off, I'm sorry for the long wait. If you guys have been following me since I started writing, you'd know that I** _ **hate**_ **to make my readers wait. It makes me feel bad about myself and my procrastination.**

 **I have a reason though.**

 **School began and I was basically bombarded with work. And although I tried writing over my free time, other projects took central stage. The schoolwork also kept increasing and size and I also wanted to work on my other stories since it's been too long since I've updated them.**

 **Recently, I also got pretty sick. I'm still sick actually, while finishing this chapter, so I hope you guys understand when I say that I tried my hardest to release this chapter as quickly as possible.**

 **I'm sorry if you guys find the wait way too long, I will try not to take that long between updates, but only time can tell what will happen.**

 **Anyways, as I've mentioned before, I'm focusing on the build-up and Slice-Of-Life segments mainly for now, so this chapter is basically just a short interaction between the Gardevoir and Alex. I still have no name for my Gardevoir OC (the one in this story, duh) so if you guys have suggestions, you can always share them.**

 **Follows, Favorites and Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated! If you spot mistakes somewhere, do not hesitate to let me know. This will be of tremendous help for me!**

 **Again, an enormous 'THANK YOU!' to my Beta readers - Agent of the Divine One and randomhairz! You guys are really,** _ **really**_ **helpful and I thank you deeply for your work!**

 **To both my Beta's and all of you, my readers, I wish a (belated) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May you have blessed holidays!**

' _ **Stay awesome!'**_

 **\- Xeroz/Xerozzuro**


	5. Chapter 5

**Good day/evening my friends! How are you doing in such a fine day? I hope your days have been good so far!**

 **First of all, Happy New Year! I hope the new 2018 brings you all happiness, health, luck and everything you wish for!**

 **As you can all see, I'm back with an update for 'The Fate Of Two Lost Souls'. The reviews I'm receiving and the numbers of Favs and Follows I've been getting are hyping me up on levels dangerous for the simple man. The support I get from you guys is greatly appreciated and I can only hope for the better in the future!**

 **Once more, I'm terribly sorry for my messed up and late update schedule. School is still rough and I'm basically overhauled with work, but I'll be free soon, so I guess there's my motivation for now.**

 **Still, even with me being gone for around 4 months (as I'm writing the A/Ns), I still hope you guys will enjoy the chapter.**

 **Without further ado, let us proceed with chapter 5.**

* * *

 _ **Key:**_

"Speech"

 _'Thought'_

 _"_ _[Mind link]"_

 _"_ _ **Pokéspeech"**_

 _:_ _Phone calls_ _:_

 _"_ _ **Tenanth's speech"**_

*Action, Background action*

(Author remarks, rant, whatever)

 _{[Flashback/Start/End]}_

{[Scene Break/Start/End]}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Pokémon or its characters.** **It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **More Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own any of the games, companies, websites, etc. mentioned through this story. Their sole purpose in this story is to add some detail.** **All the rights go to their respective owners.**

 **I** _ **do**_ **claim ownership of my OCs and plot of this story however, as well as the story itself.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

{[Scene Start]}

Pokémon. A fictional race in a fictional universe, created as a series of video games for people of all ages to enjoy.

Nowadays, people play video games in which they catch them and train them, then use them for battles. Others watch them on television in various cartoons and other types of media. Some even go around and catch them with their phones.

Truly a wonderful race, filled to the brim with wonderful creatures. Creatures that you can make friends with, that you can play with, that you can train to become strong.

However, what if one day you wake up only to find out that the Pokémon you thought of as nothing more but a fictional race turn out to be real?

For Alex Walker, an average 16-year-old boy, the situation was more or less the same as described.

Currently he was in his room, sitting on a chair next to his bed. On his bed, a strange, yet unusually beautiful creature was laying. The creature was a female, with long blue hair, pure white skin and big blue eyes.

Although confused at first, Alex came to the conclusion that the creature laying on his bed was a Pokémon. A Shiny Gardevoir, to be precise.

There were currently two things that baffled Alex. The first thing being, of course, the fact that there was an actual, living, female Shiny Gardevoir in his room. The second thing being, the place where the Gardevoir appeared from.

What really surprised Alex was the fact that neither he, nor the Gardevoir had any idea where did the Gardevoir actually come from. Not to mention, when Alex mentioned that Pokémon are simply in-game characters, the Gardevoir got confused beyond anything she's ever been before.

Unsurprisingly, the Gardevoir had zero clue what 'video games' were or what did Alex mean by saying that the Pokémon are in one, so Alex was forced to sit on the chair for nearly half an hour, trying to explain to his 'guest' the basics of 'video games' and television. In the end, the Gardevoir got so confused that she laid down on Alex's bed once more, trying to process all of the newfound information.

Needless to say, she found it hard.

"Alright, from my explanation we've learned two things:" Alex said. "this is going to be much harder than I thought and also, I suck as a teacher."

[I-I don't think it's your fault.] the Gardevoir shook her head. [You explain very well, it's just that… It's so confusing to me… If we, the Pokémon don't actually exist, then where did I come from? Why do I remember being chased by other Pokémon? Also, I still can't make sense of all this information about us that humans seem to have even though we're not supposed to exist.]

"Now that you put it like that, I can understand why you would be confused…" Alex scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, I can't really answer the questions about your origins. What I can answer is the information thing, but as we just found out – it's not very useful since I can't explain for shit."

The Gardevoir nodded, but didn't say anything. After a minute or so however, her voice rang through Alex's head once more.

[I think there's a way.] she said in his mind.

"A way?" Alex asked. "A way for what?"

[A way to understand how the 'video games' and 'television' and all that work.] she explained.

"Really?" Alex's brows rose. "Do tell."

[Using my abilities as a Pyschic, I can use them to assimilate knowledge from inside your mind.] she further explained. [In a sense, I'll be stealing knowledge from you and I'll know a certain amount of things that you yourself know.]

"Really? You can do that?" Alex asked, receiving a nod from the Gardevoir in response.

[Yes. My… my mom taught me…] she began to explain, but her voice suddenly grew more quiet and sad as she looked down at her legs.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked her.

She turned her head towards him and saw genuine concern in his eyes. This surprised her. Why would a human she just met be so concerned about her?

Still, he was waiting for a reply, so she gave him one.

[Yeah.] she said, stuttering. [Sorry, it's a bit difficult for me to talk about my… family…]

"I understand." Alex nodded in acknowledgment. "I won't address the topic. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay."

The Gardevoir nodded once more, afterwards her voice rang through Alex's head again.

[Anyways, as I was saying…] she continued from where she left off. [I can easily learn from you without you trying to explain in a way I would understand.]

"Right. Have you ever done it before?" Alex asked her, once more receiving a nod in response.

[Yes. Two times in total, but it always worked.] the Gardevoir said. [It's quite easier than I thought it'd be.]

"I see." Alex nodded. "Well, how does it work?"

But before she could answer, a loud call echoed through the house.

"ALEX?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" a voice called out to Alex loudly.

Alex's eyes widened and the Gardevoir that was laying on his bed sat up in an instant, shock and surprise written on her face.

Alex immediately recognized the voice and its owner, and there was only one thought going through his mind:

' _Shit, I forgot about Jessica!'_ he thought to himself all the while footsteps were sounding on the first floor of his big house.

He looked at the Gardevoir. She was mortified. Her hands were once more clutching the bed sheets all the while her eyes were filled with fear and shock. One side of him wanted to go to her and comfort her, while another one wanted to call out to Jessica that has just barged into his house and was now yelling out his name.

In the end, the inner conflict he had with himself didn't allow him to do either. So he just sat on the chair in his room, right next to a trembling Gardevoir, all the while staring at his door. He wasn't moving, just breathing silently.

Jessica's footsteps were closing in on the door. The sounds were getting louder and louder, faster and faster. Jessica was panicked, it was evident, but she was still walking around the house in a fast pace, looking for Alex in every room.

Eventually the footsteps slowed down. Only one room was left that Jessica did not explore – the very room Alex put the Gardevoir the night before.

It took her some time, but she finally opened the door while holding the umbrella Alex gave her the night before in both her hands in a defensive manner.

What she honestly expected to see was Alex laying on the floor with an angry looking alien standing over him, but what she found was nothing even remotely close to that.

Instead, she saw the 'alien', now awake, clutching Alex's bed sheets tightly all the while covering half of its face with them. Right next to the bed the alien was laying on was Alex, seated on a chair. He was staring at Jessica in surprise with his mouth slightly opened.

When she barged in the room, she was ready to assault the 'alien' in case it had done something to her dear friend, but once she saw that wasn't the case, she breathed out a silent sigh of relief and lowered her hands that were still tightly clutching the umbrella.

Just as she did that though, she was suddenly lifted off the ground and in the air, all the while bright blue light was enveloping her whole body. She screamed in surprise, dropping the umbrella to the ground in result of her waving her hands around, trying to get back on the ground.

Alex stared at Jessica's floating body before he snapped back to reality and looked at the Gardevoir, whose eyes were glowing a faint blue color. It was evident that she had restored some of her energy to the point where she could use her powers, but her face bore a strained expression, suggesting that she was still hurting.

Alex finally got out of his mini state of shock he was in and took action. He turned towards the Gardevoir and began talking to her.

"Don't worry!" he said to the Gardevoir. "She won't hurt you! She's a friend, it's okay!"

[She was getting ready to assault us!] the Gardevoir retorted.

"Yes, she was concerned about me, it's a misunderstanding!" Alex said as he caught one of the Gardevoir's hands. "She knows about you, she was with me last night when we found you in the forest!"

Even that wasn't enough for the Gardevoir to drop Jessica though. She was still up in the air, flailing her hands around all the while freaking out.

[How do I know she won't attack once I let her go?] the Gardevoir turned towards Alex.

"She won't, trust me." Alex nodded. "And if she does, I'll stop her. Please, just put her down now. You're in pain from it, I can see it. She won't harm you, so please put her down."

Albeit a bit hesitantly, the Gardevoir eventually lowered Jessica and put her back on the ground gently. She then began breathing heavily as tiredness overtook her once more.

Jessica was back on the ground on her hands and feet. Just like the Gardevoir, she was breathing heavily in a state of shock. It was truly a wonder how she didn't lose consciousness on the spot.

Once Jessica was put down, Alex stood up from the chair he was seated on and went to check on her. Seeing that she was still conscious, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked Jessica as he kneeled next to her. "Are you hurting somewhere?"

Jessica didn't respond immediately as she needed some time to collect her thoughts, but after a minute or so, she finally spoke out.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." she said. "My head is hurting a bit though."

"Understandable, you were in for quite the surprise." Alex replied. "It's okay though. You're safe now."

Jessica looked behind Alex and saw the Gardevoir laying on the bed once more. She was breathing heavily with her eyes closed.

"I-It did _it_ , didn't it?" Jessica asked, still in a state of shock.

"Try using less pronouns, you're confusing me." Alex replied as he scratched the back of his head.

"I-I was lifted up b-by the alien, w-wasn't I?" Jessica asked again.

"Yeah, she thought you were a threat and tried to defend herself." Alex nodded. "She did the same to me, don't worry."

"S-She?" Jessica looked at the Gardevoir again, only to see her slowly sitting up once more.

"Yeah, it's a female Gardevoir." Alex said as he pointed at the Gardevoir behind him with his thumb. "A Pokémon, just like I said yesterday."

"S-So, they actually exist?" Jessica asked, still in a state of shock.

"Apparently." Alex shrugged. "I was surprised too. I've been telling her about the video games and the television for quite some time and turns out she herself has no idea how she got here."

Jessica didn't say anything. She just kept blinking rapidly while listening to Alex. She was still glancing at the Gardevoir often, making sure that she wasn't trying to attack.

"Really though, you shouldn't have barged in like that, I told you I'd be fine." Alex said as he walked back to the chair he was previously seated on. He then grabbed it and moved it right next to Jessica so that she could sit down on it.

"Well, excuse me for being concerned, idiot!" Jessica retorted as she slowly sat down on the chair. "Despite whatever you say, I left you alone with an _alien_! Do you realize what kind of risk that is?!"

"Yeah, I do. But as you can see, nothing happened." Alex sighed. "She's very nice actually. Sure, she was scared in the beginning, pretty sure she still is, but it ain't nothing like in the movies, you know?"

"Can _she_ … understand us?" Jessica asked.

"Perfectly." Alex nodded. "But given the fact she just exhausted herself again, I doubt she's paying much attention right now."

"Did-did she do anything to you?" Jessica questioned again while looking at Alex. She looked both concerned and scared at the same time.

Alex, however, was quick to calm her down. "No, nothing too serious." he replied. "She tried lifting me in the air just like she did to you, but she was exhausted and only ended up straining herself."

"So you're fine?" Jessica asked once more.

"Yes, Jess. I'm fine." Alex replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Would you like me to write it on paper for you? Will that make you believe me?"

Jessica did not reply. Instead, she stood up from the chair and slapped Alex across his cheek, leaving a red mark in the shape of her palm. Alex put his hand on his now red cheek with his expression full of confusion and shock.

"…I-" he began, but couldn't say anything else before Jessica embraced him. She was hugging him tightly with her hands around his back, as if afraid to let him go.

"That was for making me worry, you idiot." Jessica mumbled while embracing him. "Don't do it again, or the next time I'll make sure there's blood."

Alex giggled lightly and wrapped his free hand around Jessica's waist while the other hand was still on his cheek.

"Can't promise anything, Jess." he jokingly said. "After all, it's _me_ we're talking about."

"No, you will promise. I don't care how much you don't want to." Jessica replied in a stern tone. "You know that I appreciate your jokes, but now's not the time."

"R-Right." Alex nodded. "I promise I won't worry you again."

"Good." Jessica said and let go of Alex. She then took a few steps back and looked at the Gardevoir once again. "Now then, what do we do?"

"As I told you last night, I'm nursing her back to health." Alex replied as he turned towards the Gardevoir. "I already know she's not dangerous, and she knows that I won't hurt her, so I guess that's settled."

Saying this, Alex walked closer to his bed and kneeled beside it, checking on the Gardevoir that seemed to be doing better than she was a minute ago. Her breathing was back to normal and she didn't seem in so much pain, so Alex supposed she was better.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked as he put his hand on the Gardevoir's shoulder and lightly shook her.

She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head towards Alex even slower. Once their gazes met, she blushed, but nodded nevertheless.

[I-I'm fine…] the Gardevoir's voice weakly rang through Alex's head. […J-Just a bit… tired…]

"It's understandable." Alex said. "Can you stand up?"

[I-I think so…] the Gardevoir replied and slowly began to lift her upper body from the bed. Not even half a minute later, she was back in sitting position on Alex's bed.

Once she sat up though, she once again met Jessica's gaze. Instinctively, she grasped the covers that were over here and brought them close to her body in a defensive manner. She was staring at Jessica while trembling in fear.

Jessica was staring back at her, but in confusion and amazement. Looking at the _alien_ in such a state… Perhaps Alex was right. Maybe _she_ truly was harmless. Or perhaps it was all a façade that _she_ made due to her being in such a weakened state? Albeit a little bit more comfortable around _her_ , Jessica wasn't ready to believe the Gardevoir yet.

"Why is she… trembling?" Jessica asked as she turned towards Alex.

"Well, she's scared of you." Alex replied. "I told her there's nothing to fear, but I guess her instincts make her act that way."

[I-I don't feel hostility from her, b-but I can't sense emotions well when I'm tired.] the Gardevoir spoke in Alex's head.

"You can read emotions?" Alex asked as he looked at the Gardevoir. "So that's an accurate information as well?"

[I-I can, but when I'm tired, I can't make out the exact one…] the Gardevoir nodded slightly while still hiding her face from Jessica behind the bed covers.

"Who are you talking to?" Jessica asked as she took a step forward, causing the Gardevoir to flinch.

"With… With…" Alex tried to answer, only to suddenly look at the floor beneath him and murmur out quietly: "Well, this is awkward…"

"What is…?" Jessica asked, but didn't move this time as she didn't really want to scare the Gardevoir.

"Well, ever since she woke up, I've been asking her about herself, her species, where she came from, yada yada yada, but I never asked her about one of the most important things." Alex explained.

"And that is?" Jessica lifted her brow.

"Her name, obviously." Alex said as he scratched the back of his head. "It's pretty rude to keep saying 'her' or 'Gardevoir', don't you think?"

"I-I guess you're right…" Jessica agreed. However, something suddenly dawned on her. "Wait a second! You said that you can talk to her somehow?!"

"Yeah, but I'll tell you more about it in a bit." Alex replied.

He then turned towards the Gardevoir and looked at her in her eyes. She blushed once more when he made eye contact with her, but she didn't look away.

"It's awfully late to ask for this, I know…" Alex spoke out. "It's pretty awkward that I have to ask you this now…"

[Ask me what?] the Gardevoir questioned him.

"To ask you for your name." Alex said. "I didn't ask you for your name, which was quite rude of me. I'm sorry."

[N-No, it's not a problem, it's also my fault as I didn't ask you for yours e-either…] the Gardevoir replied.

"Albeit late, I believe it's proper to introduce ourselves." Alex smiled. "My name is Alex. Alex Walker. The girl that joined us not too long ago is my friend. Her name is Jessica."

[Alex…] the Gardevoir repeated his name. [I see, I like your name.]

"Uuh, thanks." Alex replied as he scratched the back of his head.

"Did she say something?" Jessica asked upon hearing Alex's comment.

"Yeah, she said she likes my name." Alex replied as he turned towards Jessica and let out a faint giggle.

"Right… I see." Jessica nodded.

"Well then, what about you?" Alex asked as he turned towards the Gardevoir once more. "What is your name?"

[I'm Kimiko.] the Gardevoir replied as she slightly lowered the sheets that she was clutching.

"Kimiko?" Alex repeated only to receive a slight nod from the Gardevoir. "That's quite the unique name. I like your name as well."

[T-Thank you.] the Gardevoir, now known as Kimiko, replied with a blush once again forming on her face.

' _She blushes a lot, huh…?'_ Alex thought to himself. _'Does she have a fever or something?'_

Unbeknownst to him though, the Gardevoir, now named Kimiko, read his thoughts. At first she was surprised that he saw her blushing that much while being around him, but then relaxed when she saw that he thought the reason was something completely different.

"Well then, _Kimiko_ , once again I'm sorry for the late introduction, I guess I was quite consumed by the shock and surprised that I saw you before me." Alex apologized once more.

[Don't worry about it.] Kimiko replied and let out a small smile while avoiding eye contact with him. [I'm just glad that I couldn't attack you when I first saw you. I would've regretted it…]

"Don't worry. You were scared, so it's understandable." Alex said. "You don't have anything to apologize for, really."

"What are you talking about?" Jessica asked while listening to Alex and Kimiko's 'conversation', albeit only able to hear Alex who looked like he was talking to no one but himself.

"Kimiko is apologizing to me for trying to attack me when she woke up." Alex explained. "I'm just calming her down and telling her that's it's all good."

"Alright, alright, stop right here." Jessica said. "How exactly do you two talk? I can't hear anything coming from her."

"She's speaking into my mind." Alex said as he lightly tapped his forehead. "She attempted speaking with her mouth too, but all I heard was a repetitive 'Gardevoir' over and over again."

"Ah, great, here we go again with the voices in your head." Jessica sighed.

"Trust me, that's more than just 'a voice in my head'. Kimiko is _actually_ speaking to me through my mind!" Alex exclaimed. "I know it's her, because she sounds entirely different than the white dragon I saw in my dream last night."

"Are you absolutely, 100 percent sure that she's in fact speaking to you and it's not just your mind playing tricks on you?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, I'm absolutely, 100 percent sure that she's in fact speaking to me and it's not just my mind playing tricks on me." Alex repeated Jessica's question. "Wish I could prove it to you though, because then it'd be quite easier for you to believe me."

"Perhaps…" Jessica sighed. "Anyways, how are you so sure that it's actually her?"

"Her body language and the voice I hear in my head match up." Alex explained. "Besides, the explanations she gives me are not things my mind would come up with."

"Well, if it's possible for her to speak into your mind, wouldn't that mean it'd be possible for me to hear her as well?" Jessica asked.

Alex didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Kimiko who was still trying to get comfortable despite Alex's friend being there with them.

"I don't know, I didn't ask her. It might be." Alex replied, facing Jessica again. "Maybe she's too tired to do it now…"

[I don't know either.] Kimiko's voice suddenly echoed through Alex's mind. [I've never done it until now, so I can't tell.]

"Ah, she just told me that she doesn't know." Alex passed on to Jessica. "Apparently I was the first one she had ever done that thing with."

"The first one?" Jessica raised her brow. "Then how did she know about it in the first place?"

"U-Uhm…" Alex couldn't respond to Jessica's question.

He remembered just how sad Kimiko looked when she brought up her mother, so he couldn't bring himself to even mention her at the moment. He looked back at Kimiko who, albeit still a bit uncomfortable from Jessica's presence, was listening to the conversation carefully.

Kimiko noticed that Alex was glancing at her and she quickly understood why. She lowered her head a bit in sadness, but after a second she spoke to him once more.

[It's okay…] Kimiko quietly said. [I-If she wants to know, then you can tell her…]

"Well?" Jessica tapped her foot while still waiting for an answer from Alex.

"She learned it from…" he made a brief pause, but eventually finished his statement. "…her mother."

"I see." Jessica nodded. "Still, that was an awfully long pause of you."

"Yeah, well…" Alex glanced at Kimiko for a second once more. "The matter with her mother seems to bear some bad memories…"

"Oh!" Jessica exclaimed. "I-I didn't know…"

"Yeah, me neither…" Alex nodded sadly. "I believe it'd be better if we just don't talk about it."

"I agree." Jessica said. To try and change the topic, she once again addressed Alex's well-being. "So, you're alright, right? Nothing done to you?"

"Yes, Jessica, I. Am. Fine." Alex replied as clear as he could, visibly annoyed. "I'm not going insane, I'm not hearing weird voices in my head, I'm not being manipulated and I'm not dead. I'm completely fine but I'm on the verge of shouting. You don't want me to start shouting, yeah?"

"Alright, alright!" Jessica replied as she raised her hands in defense. "I was just trying to change the topic, sheesh!"

"Yeah, I figured." Alex said as he calmed down. "Still, there were better ways to do it, but hey, at least it worked."

[Thank you.] Kimiko's voice once more rang through Alex's head. [For understanding, I mean.]

Alex turned towards Kimiko once more and smiled at her while nodding.

"You're welcome." he replied.

"What did she say?" Jessica asked upon hearing Alex.

"She expresses her gratitude for understanding." Alex said. "You know, since we changed the topic."

"Ah, I see." Jessica clapped her hands as she smiled slightly. "Speaking of changing things, don't you think it's about time we go downstairs?"

"I mean, it'd be good, but Kimiko still has to recover fully." Alex said. "I don't want her to strain herself more."

"Oh, right." Jessica nodded in agreement.

[I-It's okay.] Kimiko said. [I feel a bit better now.]

"You do?" Alex asked as he turned towards Kimiko. "Can you stand up?"

[Yes, I think so.] Kimiko replied as she lifted the blanket that was covering her and slowly swung her feetless legs across the bed until the 'stubs' of her legs could make contact with the floor.

The next thing she did was to try and stand up from the bed. This, however, turned out to be quite challenging as her legs still hurt due to her wounds. Still, she tried her hardest to stand up without straining herself too much. Fortunately for her, she was able to do that despite the pain that was striking her.

As soon as she managed to stand up though, her legs began to shake slightly, proving that she still had some trouble supporting herself.

Alex was quick to notice that, so he tried to help Kimiko by offering her to use him in order to support herself. Kimiko was a bit reluctant at first, but accepted his help nevertheless.

"You don't seem like you can really move around…" Alex said as he put Kimiko's hand over his shoulders. "You sure you want to leave the room? You don't have to if you're not ready."

[I-I'm okay.] Kimiko nodded. [I just need some time to get the feeling in my legs back. B-Besides, I won't get better unless I move around a bit.]

"True." Alex nodded in agreement. "Well then, let's go downstairs."

"Did she say something?" Jessica asked as she, Alex and Kmiko all began moving towards the door leading outside of Alex's room.

"Yeah, she just said she'd like to move around a bit." Alex explained.

"I see." Jessica nodded. "Say, Kimiko…" Jessica turned her head towards Kimiko, addressing her personally for the first time. "Do you think you would be able to speak with me as well? It's kinda weird to know what you're saying through Alex."

[Tell her that I don't know.] Kimiko said in Alex's mind. [I have never tried that link so I don't know how it works for multiple people.]

"She said that she doesn't know." Alex passed on to Jessica. "It's her first time forming such a link, so she isn't sure how it would work for several people."

"Oh, I see." Jessica said. "Well, I guess we'll have to talk through Alex then."

[F-For now, yes.] Kimiko nodded.

"She said that she agrees." Alex passed on to Jessica once more. "Don't worry though, I'll find a way for you two to communicate easily."

"I see." Jessica smiled. "Much appreciated."

[Thank you.] Kimiko smiled and nodded as well, all the while walking right next to Alex and used him to support herself.

With that, all the three of them left Alex's room and went in the living room downstairs.

{[Scene Break]}

The house that Alex was living in was quite big. It was a three-story building with a large yard, a garage that could fit two cars at the same time and a large pool, situated behind the house. The first floor of the building consisted of a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, a small staircase that was leading to the cellar and the boiler room. There was also a much larger staircase that was leading to the second floor of the house.

The second floor consisted of four bedrooms – Alex's, Alex's parents' and two guest rooms. There was also a second bathroom, built for a bigger convenience. Just like on the first floor, there was a large staircase, leading to the house's attic. The attic itself was mostly used as a storage room, as there were lots of boxes and other objects that Alex had either forgot about or never used.

Currently, Alex and Jessica were walking around the house with Kimiko, showing her the different rooms, as well what is every room's function. Alex was still using his body as a support for Kimiko, who was still visibly hurting, but was at least doing better.

Through the stroll, Kimiko suddenly brought up something that was on her mind ever since Alex told her that Pokémon usually don't exist.

[So if Pokémon don't exist, and I have no idea where I've come from, can I get back?] Kimiko asked during their stroll around Alex's house.

"I don't know, I've never seen anyone come from a different world before." Alex replied with a smile. "There could be, but I can't tell for sure."

[Oh… I see.] Kimiko nodded slowly and looked away from Alex.

"Still, do you really want to go back though?" Alex asked her. Kimiko didn't reply immediately.

[No, not really.] Kimiko replied. [I don't feel like I belong in there. I don't feel like anyone really belongs there. I-I don't like it there!]

Alex was surprised hearing Kimiko's answer.

"I see." Alex nodded. "Well, that's why I'm showing you around the house, is it not? It's not just because you gotta move around a bit."

[What do you mean?] Kimiko asked him.

"Well, you can't go back to the place where you came from, and you don't really have anywhere else to go, so I thought you could live with me until we come up with something." Alex explained.

[W-What?] Kimiko asked as her eyes widened.

"What? Don't you want to?" Alex asked with a hint of sadness in his voice.

[No, it's nothing like that!] Kimiko replied as blush once again formed on her face. [I was just a bit… surprised. Also, why wouldn't I have nowhere else to go?]

"Well, as I said, there are no Pokémon in our world, so even if you go out and decide to live on your own, chances are the big bad government guys will try to capture you." Alex further explained to Kimiko.

[T-They would hunt me down?!] Kimiko's legs began to shake even more. [W-Why would they do that?!]

"See, us humans… we're usually scared of the unknown." Alex began. "Since you are a Pokémon, a being that is not supposed to exist here, people would like to find out where did you come from, how did you come here, how can you lift people in the air using your mind and all of the sort. They wouldn't care if you got hurt or something, they would just want answers. It's something that even I disagree with, something that is, in my opinion, awful. So, until we find out what's going on, I think it'd be better for you to stay indoors."

[B-But if that's supposed to happen to the unknown creatures that make their way here, why didn't you do this? Why didn't you bring me to them?] Kimiko asked after a short period of silence.

"Because you don't deserve it." Alex replied seriously. "You don't deserve to be experimented upon simply because you look different. You don't deserve to be segregated and put through experiments for being different."

Kimiko could only stare at Alex while he was explaining his reasoning.

"If something was to happen to you when I could prevent it…" Alex faced Kimiko once more. "If something like this was to happen, then I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

Kimiko was left speechless at Alex's answer. She couldn't believe that someone who just met her would go that for to protect her. Despite the link she made and the fact that she saw the inside of his mind, she still couldn't fully trust Alex, but with what he just told her, she was about to change that rather quickly.

[I-I can't believe you would go that far for me…] Kimiko quietly said as she turned away from Alex and broke their eye contact. [Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate it.]

"You're welcome, don't worry about it." Alex nodded. He then asked her a question. "So, what do you say?"

[About what?] Kimiko asked him.

"My suggestion. You know, about you living here with me." Alex said. "Would you like that? I would feel pretty bad if I just left you on your own with the government guys possibly trying to capture you if they see you."

[Do you… really want me to live here?] she asked as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Thankfully, Alex nor Jessica noticed it.

"Of course, if you're okay with it, I mean." Alex smiled and nodded.

[T-Then, I would love that.] Kimiko smiled back as well. [Thank you so much!]

"You're welcome." Alex replied. "Come on, let's continue with the stroll, you gotta get accustomed to the place."

Kimiko could only nod at what Alex said. She couldn't really speak to him, as there was only one thing on her mind:

' _He's so kind.'_ she thought to herself. _'Why couldn't I meet Alex instead of_ him _?'_

{[Scene Break]}

After the short tour of the house, Alex, Jessica and Kimiko were heading towards the living room, but right before they could even go there, Kimiko spoke out.

[H-Hey Alex, bathrooms were the places where you clean yourself and go 'when nature calls', right?] she asked.

"Yeah, that's right." Alex confirmed. "Why are you asking?"

[Well, I feel… dirty.] Kimiko explained as she looked down at her 'gown'. [I would like to clean myself up.]

"Oh, I see." Alex nodded.

[D-Do you mind if I use it?] Kimiko asked a bit shyly.

"No, not at all." Alex shook his head. "Feel free to go wherever, whenever you please."

[Thank you.] she nodded. She then removed her hand from over his shoulders as she began slowly walking towards the bathroom.

"Come to think of it, I never explained you how does the shower or the bathtub work…" Alex said as he scratched his chin. "Would you like me and Jessica to help you out?"

[T-That would be nice, yes.] Kimiko nodded.

With that, all the three of them headed for the bathroom.

{[Scene Break]}

When they arrived there however, another problem arose.

"Alright, Jess, why don't you two go in and I'll wait for you in the living room?" Alex suggested.

"What? No, we can't do that." Jessica protested. "What if she asks me something? I can't understand her like you do so we won't get any job done. You go with her."

"Uh, no, I can't do that." Alex said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Why not?" Jessica asked.

"Because I'm a guy. And she's a girl." Alex said as he blushed slightly at the thought of being in the bathroom with Kimiko. "Trust me, you better go with her."

"I already told you I can't, we won't be able to understand each other." Jessica repeated herself. "Though, you have a point too. We'll have to think of something…"

"Hmmmm… okay, how about this…" Alex began, "the two of you will go in and I'll stay right outside the door." he then turned towards the door. "Kimiko, if you need something, you'll talk to me and I'll tell Jessica, sounds good?"

[Okay.] Kimiko nodded. [I don't mind.]

"Well then, it's settled." Alex said.

With the small problem solved, Jessica and Kimiko got inside the bathroom, closing the door behind them, as Alex leaned on the wall while being close enough to the door.

Not too long after the sound of the shower being turned on was heard, all the while Jessica's voice was heard, instructing Kimiko on what to do.

While that was happening, Alex was simply leaning into the wall, all the while thinking about the recent events.

The current day and the one before had been quite wild and extraordinary, yet so fun and exciting. Not only did he meet an _actual, real_ Pokémon, but said Pokémon was now living in his house. The weirdest part about all of this is that he felt some sort of connection to the Gardevoir, yet he couldn't explain it. Why was it like this? Why did he feel compelled to care for her ever since he saw her in the forest?

Was it the dragon he saw in his dreams? No, it was something different. Something vastly different from the dragon. Yet, he didn't know what it was, he couldn't explain it no matter how hard he wanted to.

Regardless of the reason why he felt like this, he simply wanted to protect her, to make sure she would be okay.

He knew it was weird, he knew her for hardly even a day, yet it was what he felt, it was what his mind, what his _heart_ was telling him to do. He couldn't reason with himself, he wanted to protect her, he wanted to keep her safe. He wanted to see her happy, to see her smile.

He couldn't explain it, but he didn't try to anymore, it was pointless. He just felt like the right thing to do is to follow his instinct. And his instinct was yelling at him to keep her safe and happy.

' _I think I would be okay with this.'_ he thought to himself as he smiled, all the while Jessica's voice sounded through the bathroom.

{[Scene End]}

* * *

 **And the rest is silence.**

 **First off, sorry for the long wait… again. School is still fucking me over and I'm left with very little time to write or do something else that I like. But, truth to be told, even when I have time, I waste too much of it on shitposting and memes. At times, I hate myself and my procrastination.**

 **This chapter was a bit tough to write, I ended up rewriting lots of parts over and over simply because I didn't know how I wanted to approach certain parts of it. I'm satisfied with the end it came out, even though I couldn't come with anything better as an endng.**

 **Also, as you can all already tell, I came up with a name for the Gardevoir. Thank you all who submitted your suggestions, I looked at every single one! Your help is greatly appreciated.**

 **Again, the story's flow is going slowly for now, I'm still working on the build-up. Trust me though, I have** _ **lots**_ **of stuff planned. I just hope it all works out in the end though.**

 **Anyways guys, I hope you enjoyed that chapter despite the 5 month break, as I said, I'm getting quite busy over here, please bear with me!**

 **If you enjoyed, please make sure to Follow, Favorite, Review or do all the three of these! They're all deeply appreciated!**

 **Once again, an enormous 'Thank you!' to randomhairz and Agent of the Divine One for being my Beta readers! Thank you guys so much for your help and bearing with me and my slow ass!**

 **Please let me know if you've spotted typos or any other kind of grammatical errors in the chapter, you're doing me a favor by doing so!**

' **Stay awesome!'  
\- Xeroz/Xerozzuro**


	6. Chapter 6

**Greetings, my dear readers! I hope you've had fantastic days so far, and if they weren't, then I hope tomorrow they will be!**

 **Once again, welcome to the newest installment of my** _ **highly**_ **experimental "Pokémon" fan fiction – 'The Fate of Two Lost Souls'.**

 **Boy, I already have some regrets writing this, mainly because I know how it will play out and how out-of-place will it feel…  
Eh, who cares. I already started it, I like writing it, might as well see it through, am I right?**

 **I'm sorry for being away for (almost) three months. Summer is nice and all, but it really does kill my motivation to do anything. Not complaining though, I love summer. I was able to work on lots of things during it, so there's that.**

 **Yet, here I am, finally with an update! Please, enjoy it.**

 **Without further ado, onto chapter 6.**

* * *

 _ **Key:**_

"Speech"

 _'Thought'_

 _"[Mind link]"_

 _" **Pokéspeech"**_

 _:_ _Phone calls_ _:_

 **"Tenanth's speech"**

*Action, Background action*

(Author remarks, rant, whatever)

 _{[Flashback/Start/End]}_

{[Scene Break/Start/End]}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Pokémon or its characters.** **It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **More Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own any of the games, companies, websites, etc. mentioned through this story. Their sole purpose in this story is to add some detail.** **All the rights go to their respective owners.**

 **I** _ **do**_ **claim ownership of my OCs and plot of this story however, as well as the story itself.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

{[Scene Start]}

Days have always been slow for him. No matter the time of the year, his time seemed to pass rather slowly. Whether it be school, vacation or just spending time with friends, it would always be that way.

It was a part of his life that he was used to, but still disliked regardless. He grew up with everything a person like him could ask for, which left him being indifferent towards the world surrounding him.

There was a very small amount of things that made him happy. The first being his parents. Albeit he saw them rarely, he still loved to spend time with them, whether it'd be in pointless small conversations or just watching TV in the same room.

The second thing was his friends. Fortunately, he was able to spend time with them daily and no matter the occasion, they would always somehow make their meetings memorable and the time spent unforgettable. His friends were irreplaceable, they were all aware of it. They were his second family and he would always cherish them.

The third thing would be his computer, the video games and the internet. All of them were things he grew up with, after all. Albeit a bit shameful to admit it, he had tons of memories just sitting in his room, playing video games on his own or with his friends. Albeit one would argue that it's a waste of time, it was just another way for him to smile.

Indeed, Alex Walker, a 16 year old boy that had the fortune to be born in a wealthy family, was leading quite an average life. A life that he was grateful for. No matter how much he liked his life though, he always wanted more. He always wanted something that would make his life much more dynamic, much more interesting and much more unique.

Fortunately, God or whatever other higher power was up there, heard his thoughts and gave him a task he would have never even dreamed of.

A supernatural creature entered his life in quite the weird way. Who would've thought that a simple encounter in a forest would lead to such… interesting results.

Was it fate or something else, Alex didn't care. All he felt was gratitude and confusion. Gratitude to the aforementioned higher power that sent the supernatural creature to him and confusion as to how the creature even got in the forest in the first place.

The creature was not just any grey-scaled alien Alex would see in the movies though. No, the 'creature' that he met and brought to his house was a creature he was familiar with. A creature that he met in his youth, although not so close and not so personal.

The creature in question, was a Pokémon. A female, shiny Gardevoir to be exact. Albeit hurt, tired and confused, Alex felt compelled to ensure the Pokémon's safety, ever since he saw her laying in the forest. His weird drive to protect such an odd creature was confusing to his female friend Jessica, that just so happened to accompany him when he found the Gardevoir.

Yet, being the headstrong person he is, Alex brought the Gardevoir to his home, interacted with her, fed her, walked her around and even learned her name.

Truly, a lot could happen in a day, but it was certainly quite interesting.

The word 'excitement' had been a bit lost on Alex for quite some time, but right now, he felt it more than ever.

Currently, he was leaning on the wall right next to his bathroom door, holding a white gown in one of his hands and a pair of blue gloves in his other. The aforementioned gloves and clothes both belonged to the Gardevoir that Alex and Jessica found the night before.

Kimiko, as the name of the Gardevoir turned out to be, wished to use the bathroom in Alex's house as she needed to clean herself. However, this being her first time using one would have proven to be quite the challenge, so someone had to enter with her.

Thankfully, this duty was taken by Jessica, who was currently helping out Kimiko in the bathroom. It was a job that Alex himself could've taken, given his easier communication with the Gardevoir, but a much more reasonable choice in his opinion would have been if Jessica did it instead.

And he was right.

"Alex, we're about done! Mind fetching us a bathrobe?!" Jessica's voice sounded through the closed bathroom door. She was making sure to talk loud enough so that Alex could hear her.

"Sure! Gimme a second!" replied Alex in an equally loud tone before opening the near wardrobe, containing several clean towels and neatly folded bathrobes.

As soon as he took it, the bathroom door opened slightly and out of the bathroom came out Jessica's hand, motioning for Alex to give her the bathrobe.

He walked over to Jessica and handed her the bathrobe. She took it and immediately stepped back from the door, closing it without a word. Alex then heard her say something to Kimiko within the bathroom, but it wasn't loud enough for him to hear, so he just ignored it.

Not even a minute later, the bathroom door opened for the second time, revealing a somewhat wet Jessica and Kimiko wearing a bathrobe that was evidently way too big for her.

Come to think of it, Alex didn't give her the smallest one, but even if he did, the case wouldn't have been different. The bathrobe was sliding off her narrow shoulders and if it wasn't for her hands that were holding it in place, it would've fallen off long ago. The bathrobe's hood was covering the Gardevoir's head, leaving only the front part of her hair and her face exposed.

She seemed to be in awe upon leaving the bathroom, as she was still looking around it from the outside. In Alex's eyes, it was an adorable sight.

"Well, I'm a bit wet myself," Jessica said as she used another towel to wipe her face, "but at least it was fun."

"Well, it's good to see that things went well." Alex said with a chuckle.

"I expected a disaster, given that we can't even talk normally, but it all went better than expected." Jessica said and turned towards Kmiko. "Right, Kimiko?"

The Gardevoir smiled shyly and nodded.

"Do you feel better now, Kimiko?" Alex asked her.

[Y-Yes, I feel clean and refreshed, but my wounds still hurt a bit.] Kimiko nodded.

"It's understandable, they won't heal that quickly." Alex said. "Don't worry though, I'll make sure you're healed properly."

"What is it?" Jessica asked after Alex spoke.

"Kimiko says that her wounds still hurt." Alex replied.

"Oh, well, yeah, it's understandable." Jessica nodded. "I mean, there was blood, so it's only natural for them to hurt."

"Indeed. You'll be okay though, Kimiko. Don't you worry." Alex said as he put his hands on his hips, only to notice that Kimiko's dress was still in his hand.

"You should probably put these away somewhere first." Jessica said with a faint giggle. "Her underwear is in the basket inside."

"…She had underwear?" Alex asked with his brow raised.

"Of course she did, dummy." Jessica replied. "What? Do you expect her to run around naked?"

"I mean, no, but I didn't see her wear anything when…" Alex tried to explain, only to abruptly stop and try to change the subject. "A-Anyways, that's not important! I-I was just surprised, okay?"

[W-Why is that such a surprise for you?] Kimiko asked him as she tilted her head to the side.

"Uuuh, well, uuuh… I just thought that, since you live in the wild and uuuh…" Alex scratched the back of his head while trying to find the right words in order not to sound rude.

[O-Oh, that doesn't stop us from making our own, it's just like our gowns.] Kimiko said. [We make them from materials we make ourselves or find in nature.]

"O-Oh, I see…" Alex nodded. "But I thought that, since you live in the wild and all, you wouldn't really need them…"

[W-We live in the wild, but we build settlements and villages, much like the humans do.] Kimiko explained. [And while our culture differs from humans', we do have some common customs.]

"I see." Alex said. "I never knew that Pokémon have an entirely different culture than humans."

"Alex, the clothes." Jessica pointed towards the gown and gloves in Alex's hands once more.

"Oh, right!" Alex exclaimed. "Kimiko, you'll tell me more about them in a bit, I have to go put your clothes in the washing machine."

[Washing… machine?] Kiriko tilted her head in confusion once more.

"Uh yeah, I'll tell you about them too, but once I'm done with the clothes." Alex said and turned towards Jessica. "Jess, lead her to the living room, please."

"Alright then." Jessica nodded and turned towards Kimiko. "C'mon Kimiko, let's go wait for him in the living room."

"R-Right."Kimiko replied, although all that Jessica heard was just "Gardevoir".

"We'll have to do something about communicating, but I think I'm starting to understand you, bit by bit." Jessica said as she began walking towards the living room, supporting Kimiko in the process that seemed like she still had a bit of a trouble walking.

She felt rather happy, but she couldn't explain why.

{[Scene Break]}

Alex was currently walking towards the laundry room while holding Kimiko's clothes in his hands. Right now, his mind was a mess. A mess that was created by a small and simple reveal.

Pokémon wear underwear.

Yes, indeed. Alex's mind was blown away by the realization that some, if not all Pokémon, were behaving more or less like the humans.

He didn't know why that would have such an impact on him and his mind and the fact that he didn't drove him crazy.

Still, he did his best to ignore it. He really wanted to stop thinking about it and just do what he was going to do. And he attempted to do just that when he finally reached the laundry room.

Upon entering the room, he immediately went to the washing machine and began putting Kimiko's clothes in it. Her gown and gloves were put there first, leaving only her underwear.

Alex's cheeks reddened as he looked at Kimiko's undergarment that laid in his hands. It wasn't too different from the female underwear that he has seen before, it was just smaller and thinner, made specifically to fit on a Gardevoir's body.

Still, touching them, Alex could only feel embarrassment. He has seen female underwear before, willingly or not. Touching it was an entirely new matter, however. Especially for a boy, that has been alone for 16 years.

' _Now's not the time to be embarrassed by touching underwear, dude!'_ He shook his head at himself. _'You look fucking pathetic.'_

With these thoughts in mind, he put the underwear in the washing machine, and closed the door. After pouring in detergent and pressing a couple of buttons, the machine began working, cleaning Kimiko's clothes.

"Man, I swear to God, if the room gets flooded again…" Alex sighed to himself as he turned around and began walking towards the door, leading outside of the room.

Just as his hand reached for the handle however, something happened. Something he didn't want to happen ever again.

His headache returned.

The pain in his head was, once again, unbearable. His knees felt weak, his vision became blurry and his ears were ringing. He fell on his knees, with his right hand supporting himself from falling on the floor completely and his left hand gripping his head.

' _FUCK, NOT AGAIN!'_ he screamed at himself as the pain just kept intensifying.

He wanted to scream, punch, do anything in order to stop the pain. Yet he didn't. Was it his own body being unresponsive, or was it his wish not to alert Kimiko and Jessica who would have heard it? He didn't know.

Suddenly, the pain stopped, but his body was still unresponsive. He couldn't see his surroundings. Instead, he felt them. He felt… everything.

No, that wouldn't be the right word. He couldn't explain it himself. It was as if he felt the whole planet. Its atmosphere, the ground, the mountains, lake, rivers, the presence of bugs, birds, humans… _life_.

It all felt rather odd. He couldn't describe it. His vocabulary was too limited to even comprehend and describe the feeling.

Yet, the feeling was soon broken, as he felt a shift in the presence. Everything that he felt and sense thus far was still there, yet he suddenly felt something different. Something new.

He felt the appearance of another presence. One that he couldn't recognize. One that he never knew existed. Yet, despite that it also felt familiar, as if it belonged in this place. As if it was at home here.

What was it? Where was it coming from? He couldn't explain. He couldn't answer. It was there. In the vast sea of other presences.

The feeling of life's presence disappeared as quickly as it came, as Alex soon discovered that he is completely fine once more. He could no longer sense the 'life', he could see and perceive normally again and his body was back under control.

He stood up from the ground and shook his head, leaning against the wall while breathing heavily.

' _It happened again…'_ was the only thought in his head while he was breathing heavily. _'Why? What was that? Why is it happening to me?'_

He had silently hoped ever since that day that this would not occur a second time. Unfortunately, it did, but this time it was different.

This time, _he was scared beyond anything he ever thought possible_.

His heart was beating faster than ever before. He couldn't control his breathing. His hands and legs were shaking. He slowly fell to the cold, hard floor while his back was still leaning against the wall.

He wanted to cry, he really did. Yet he couldn't. He couldn't even focus his thoughts properly.

This was too sudden, too new for him. He didn't know how to react, what to do, what to think.

 **"You seem distressed, youngling."** the now familiar gruff and deep voice suddenly brought him out of the trance Alex found himself into. **"Why so?"**

"You… you know of it, don't you?" Alex replied to the voice in his head, trying to be as quiet as possible in an attempt not to alert Jessica or Kimiko. "If you really are in my head as you told me last night, then you'd know of what happened. You'd know why I'm… I'm… I'm like _this_!"

A brief silence followed. Tenanth, the supposed dragon that was somehow inhabiting Alex's head didn't reply immediately, which made Alex even more suspicious and even more determined to find out just what was happening to him.

 **"Of course it would happen."** Tenanth's reply finally came. "Didn't I already tell you? You're a 'Protector'."

"What does that mean?" Alex asked, trying not to raise his voice. "What is a 'Protector'? Why would it make me feel… _that_?"

 **"As a 'Protector', it's your duty to guard the innocent and righteous ones."** Tenanth said. **"It's no task a simple human can take on. You're special, youngling. You just don't realize it."**

"How am I special?" Alex asked as he shook his head. "What does that even mean? I can hear voices, but I don't think that's 'being special'. Hell, I'd argue it's called 'being insane'. Why am I even still talking to you?"

 **"Deep down you know that all of this is real, youngling. Of course you'd know. You've been through all of this already."** came Tenanth's reply. **"In fact, you're the reason why I communicate with you. It's your will that connected us."**

"I don't remember asking for this." Alex shook his head once more as he brought his hand to his forehead. "I've silently wished to stop being bored of everything, but I've _definitely_ never asked for this."

 **"Of course you wouldn't remember."** Tenanth said, his voice sounding sad. **"You don't remember your role as a 'Protector' either, nor what it means."**

"I've never known in the first place." Alex said while staring at a random spot on the opposite wall. "All of this is unbelievable. What you're saying makes no sense and the fact that you sound like one of these vague old men that guard prophecies and stuff in anime doesn't help me."

 **"I'm vague simply because you asked of me to be so."** Tenanth said. Alex rose his brow at that statement.

"I did?" Alex asked as he put his hand back down. "When? Why?"

 **"You told me not to reveal anything. You said that, should I do it, disaster would hit not just this planet, but every other one."** Tenanth explained. **"It was years ago, yet I still remember it as if it was yesterday. I swore not to reveal anything to your new self and I intend to keep that promise."**

"…New self?" Alex asked once more. "What does this mean?"

 **"Youngling… No, Partner. Please, I already told you too much."** Tenanth sighed sadly. **"When the right time comes, I will tell you everything you don't know. Everything you're curious about. But not now."**

"When the right time comes…" Alex muttered. "When will that be? How am I supposed to wait until then when you just unleashed this big-ass bomb of information on me?"

 **"If I manage to execute my role the way I intend to, you won't have to wait long."** Tentanth said. **"Should worse come to worse though, I'm afraid simple explanations will not be enough. For now, just listen to me whenever I speak and we both will be fine."**

"No matter how many times you'll say it, this thing won't just leave me alone, you know? You just made me ask so many more questions that will just keep bothering me…" Alex said. "Besides, what exactly prevents you from giving me all the answers right now? What will happen if you do?"

 **"Worst case scenario, this world will be destroyed."** came the dragon's simple reply. **"Trust me, Partner. It's better for you to stay in the dark, right now. For now, guard the 'Key', your new friend. If she's safe, then the worst case scenario won't come to be."**

"Oh yeah, I remember you said Kimiko is some sort of 'Key' for a conflict…" Alex muttered as he slowly stood up from the floor. "What does that mean? What's the conflict about?"

 **"The conflict is between worlds. Between species."** Tenanth replied. **"Humans will soon meet either their end or their new beginning. It all depends whether or not the 'Key' is safe. The Gardevoir is a being, blessed with enormous power. Though, it's up to you that no harm comes to her and it's up to you to help her master her power."**

"No idea how do I even do that…" Alex deadpanned. "Besides, that doesn't answer my question. What is the conflict about? Who is it between?"

 **"The conflict will be between the Earth and other planets and races. Their goal is to take over the planet and enslave humanity, as well as all life on the planet."** Tenanth answered.

"Right, so I'm basically living in a Hollywood movie…" Alex sighed once more. "Who are the other planets? Why would they want to enslave us?"

 **"Alien life forms. I can't tell for certain who will try to attack the Earth, but I know that the Earth will be under attack."** Tenanth further explained. **"The Earth is a vital tool that will be used in an even greater conflict, bigger than anything I've seen before. The energies and properties of the planet make it extremely useful for any goal of the alien life forms. The Earth has created something that even the extraterrestrials find amazing and valuable."**

"Japan?" Alex asked with a light chuckle, trying to cheer himself up.

 **"Pokémon."** Tenanth said, shocking Alex with a single word.

"P-Pokémon?" Alex asked. "B-But, apart from Kimiko, there are… there are no other Pokémon around."

 **"This will bring us to the final matter that we will discuss here."** Tenanth stated. **"The headache and the weird sensation you felt was caused by an 'entry'. The unfamiliar presence that you felt was indeed not a human, but it did belong to this world originally."**

"S-So you're saying that this was…" Alex muttered out as his eyes widened in realization. "It… It can't be-!"

 **"Indeed, Partner."** the dragon confirmed Alex's suspicions. **"What you felt was indeed, a Pokémon. However, just like you, I have no idea where it came from. It is true that Pokémon** _ **do**_ **come from this world, yet the one that you felt arrived from somewhere else. Somewhere far, far away."**

"Do you know where it came from?" Alex asked.

 **"No. One thing is for sure though. Lots of them will be coming."** Tenanth said. **"The first time you felt this headache was due to the arrival of the 'Key'. Or rather, the foretelling of her arrival. A strong influx of energy washed over the planet, waking me up in the process, which also resulted in you, experiencing the headache."**

"This is… this is too much to take in at the moment…" Alex shook his head as he kept breathing heavily. "All of this… It's unreal…"

 **"Do you see now why I don't give you answers? Do you see now why I'm vague? It's not just your order to do so, it's also me, trying to preserve you and keeping you outside of the conflict for as long as possible."** Tenanth explained. **"And I'll keep doing this. There are still lots of things that you don't know, or rather, don't remember. I'll tell you about them only when the time is right. Understood?"**

Alex didn't reply immediately. He needed some time to process everything that he just learned from Tenanth. Everything that Tenanth just told him left him with even more questions than he previously had, which just made him even more confused that he was before.

Everything, from the conflict to the 'past self' that the dragon spoke of seemed unreal, yet Alex felt as if it was the truth. He couldn't explain it, he just trusted him. Was it him being gullible? Was it him being stupid? Or was it just his intuition? He couldn't explain it, he just believed.

He didn't know what to think or what to do, yet he felt as if the proper thing for now would be listening to Tenanth.

"I understand." Alex finally said after the brief silence. "I'll listen to what you say. Though, what do I do with all of the things you told me? These things won't stop bothering me, you know."

 **"Of course they won't, I'm aware of it."** Tenanth said. **"But there's not much you can do. Keep them at the back of your head, suppress them, I don't know. Just keep yourself distracted from them. When the time's right, I'll tell you all about them. Deal?"**

"Sure, it's a deal." Alex nodded. "So, do I gotta tell Kimiko and Jessica about this?"

 **"Our talks are just between the two of us."** came Tenanth's reply. **"They don't and shouldn't know about the matters we've discussed."**

"Well, I kinda already told Jessica that I saw you in my dream, and I'm pretty sure Kimiko can read my mind, soo…" Alex scratched the back of his head. "Oops?"

 **"I'm aware that you told your female friend about me. It doesn't bother me. As long as she doesn't know what we discuss, it's okay."** Tenanth said, relieving Alex. **"As for the 'Key', do not worry, she cannot sense me in your head unless I decide so."**

"I understand, I think." Alex nodded once more. "Well, I'll try not to overthink what you told me today, though, it's gonna be hard. Anyways, I guess I should return back to Jessica and Kimiko."

 **"Then do so. And remember, not a single word of our interaction."** Tenanth reminded.

"Yeah, sure, I'll act as if you never spoke to me." Alex said.

 **"Good. Now go."** Tenanth's final message echoed through Alex's mind, as he didn't say anything more.

With the confusing discussion over, Alex exited the laundry room and began making his way towards the living room. He did his best to suppress the questions that wouldn't leave him alone.

Needless to say, it was very hard.

{[Scene Break]}

Upon entering the living room, Alex was welcomed by the sight of Jessica and Kimiko sitting on the sofa in the living room. Jessica was showing Kimiko how to dry her hair with the bathrobe's hood. Needless to say, he found it adorable.

As he entered the room, Jessica turned towards him, giving him a questioning look.

"You sure took your sweet time." Jessica said. "Where were you?"

"I couldn't find the detergent, so I had to search for it. I couldn't remember where I'd put it." he replied as he scratched the back of his head.

Obviously, it was a lie, but he listened to what Tenanth told him. Besides, he didn't want to alert neither Kimiko nor Jessica, so he thought that a small lie like that wouldn't harm anyone.

Besides, Jessica knew that it's like him to forget such small things, given that he wasn't very organized, so he was sure that she could buy it as the truth…

"You're helpless…" Jessica sighed.

And he was right.

"Yeah, well, I still got my moments, don't I?" Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, moments of being an absolute idiot." Jessica replied.

"Still counts." Alex grinned. "Anyways, I just realized we didn't have breakfast yet. You hungry?"

"No, I'm good. I ate while I was at Kylie's house." Jessica shook her head.

"I see." Alex said. He then turned towards the Gardevoir. "How about you, Kimiko? Are you hungry?"

[N-No, I'm still full from the fruits you gave me earlier.] Kimiko shook her head.

"I see." Alex nodded. "Well, looks like I'll be eating by myself then."

"Alex, aren't you forgetting something?" Jessica asked.

"Did I forget to put on pants again?" Alex asked as he looked down.

"No, idiot, I'm talking about Kimiko!" Jessica retorted. "She's naked!"

"Oh, fuck! You're right! Hold on, I'll go out immediately!" Alex said as he began making his way towards the door.

"What the-? NO! Come back here!" Jessica almost yelled out.

"I already told you, it's as embarrassing for me as it would be for her!" Alex replied without turning around.

"What I meant is that she needs clothes!" Jessica said. "She can't be in just a bathrobe for a whole day, you know?"

"Hey, yeah, you're right!" Alex said as he finally turned around to look towards Jessica. "Though, now that you mention it, we're gonna have trouble…"

"Why?" Jessica asked.

"Well, for one, I have no clothes that will fit her." Alex said. "While I could give her some of my clothes, I don't think they'll fit her and I don't even think she'd like to put them on. Besides, I don't have any female underwear around."

"I don't think it'd be a problem for her to wear some of your clothes, but yeah, the underwear thing would be a problem…" Jessica said as she rubbed her chin.

"I could go and buy her some, but it'd be quite weird…" Alex said as he shook his head.

"How so?" asked Jessica as she raised her brow.

"I mean, imagine being a clerk in a shop and seeing a teenage boy shopping for women's underwear." Alex explained. "Now imagine the clerk being someone from school. Guy spreads the word, rumors start to circle around, and before you know it, this thing follows me for the rest of my school days."

"Oh, yeah." Jessica nodded. "Now that you put it like that…"

"Not to mention that should my parents hear about that, this thing will follow me even when I'm home. I can already see them cringing at the mere thought…" Alex further explained. "No, I refuse! That's a no!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh! I get you!" Jessica waved her hands around, effectively making Alex shut up.

"Right. Sorry, guess I got too much into it…" Alex scratched the back of his head.

"No, no, I agree with you. It really would be weird. …And humiliating." Jessica giggled silently at the last part. "But we've gotta think of something…"

And idea then suddenly struck Alex.

"Hey, Kimiko, do you, per chance, have any other clothes that you put somewhere?" Alex asked as he turned towards the Gardevoir that was listening to the conversation. "Like, in some pocket dimension or something?"

[I can't do that…] Kimiko shook her head. [I don't have any other clothes besides the ones I was wearing.]

"I see." Alex nodded in acknowledgement. "Well then, we'll have to think of something…"

"I think I might have the solution." Jessica suddenly said. "I'll lend her some of mine."

"Hey, yeah, you're right!" Alex snapped his fingers. "That could work! Do you think you have anything that would fit her?"

"No idea, but I can go search around my wardrobe. You know that I never throw clothes away." Jessica said.

"Yeah, Jess. Yes, I know…" Alex chuckled as he shook his head.

"I'll go to my house quickly and bring as much as I can carry, you two just wait for me here." Jessica said as she stood up from the sofa. "I'll try not to take long, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Will you be alright though?" Alex asked her.

"I'll be getting clothes, of course I'll be okay." Jessica replied. "I'll be back sooner than you know if I manage to catch a cab."

"Right." Alex said. "Want me to walk you to the door?"

"No, need. You two just wait for me here, I'll be back soon." Jessica said as she exited the living room and went straight for the house's exit. Once the door behind her closed, Alex sighed and leaned into the sofa.

"Well, looks like it's just the two of us, Kimiko." Alex said as he looked at her.

[Y-Yeah…] she replied a bit nervously.

"H-Hey, uh, I don't want to sound rude or anything, but aren't you… I dunno, embarrassed with me being here while you're… y'know… naked?"

[I-I'm kind of e-embarrassed, b-but I don't sense any… m-malicious thoughts coming from you, s-so it's not _that_ uncomfortable…] Kimiko responded.

"I-I see…" Alex nodded. "Well, if you want to put some clothes on I'll bring you some of mine, but I doubt they'd fit you. I mean, our sizes are quite… different."

[No, it's okay.] Kimiko shook her head. [I'll just wait for Jessica to return. Besides, this 'bathrobe' is very comfortable.]

"I know, right?" Alex said with a chuckle. "At times, when I take a shower I just stay in it because it's soft and comfortable, and I just leave it on for hours."

[But, won't you get a cold that way?] Kimiko asked as she looked towards him.

"Sure, if I was in some cold place or there was wind blowing against me, but I can just turn on the heat and close the windows." Alex shrugged. "Now that you mention it though, are you cold?"

[N-No, it's actually quite warm in here. I was just curious.] Kimiko shook her head. She then remembered something she meant to ask Alex earlier. [Oh, that reminds me, where did you put my clothes?]

"Oh, they're in the washing machine." Alex simply said. "They were a bit dirty, so I figured it'd be better if we cleaned them, so I put them in there."

[What's a 'washing machine'?] Kimiko asked as she tilted her head.

"Oh, it's a machine that, well, washes clothes and sheets." Alex tried to explain. "It's basically a machine, in which you put the dirty clothes and sheets, which then get washed with water and soap for some time and get clean in the process."

[S-So, it's cleaning my clothes?] Kimiko asked.

"Yes, pretty much." Alex nodded. "They'll be done in about half an hour, but they'll be all wet and uncomfortable to wear, so when they're done we'll have to put them in the dryer for some time."

[Dryer?] Kimiko asked as she tilted her head once more.

"It's another machine that's used for drying off the clothes and sheets that you put in the washing machine." Alex attempted to explain, once again, to the best of his ability.

[I see.] Kimiko nodded. [The humans' way of doing things with machines is very weird…]

"Don't you build such stuff on your own?" Alex asked her.

[It depends on the tribe and their traditions and customs, as well the way they have learned to live.] Kimiko explained. [In our village we relied mainly on our psychical abilities. We did build our own houses and various tools, but we never learned how to build and use machines.]

"So, you live in tribes?" Alex asked another question.

[Yes.] Kimiko nodded. [There are several different tribes in every region. Some of them live close to human settlements, while others isolate themselves and live in the woods, far away from the humans.]

"What about your tribe?" Alex questioned.

[We…] Kimiko was about to answer, but her facial expression shifted. She looked extremely sad, as if she was just about to cry. In that moment, Alex regretted the fact that he even asked her in the first place.

"Y-You know what, you don't have to answer that if you don't feel like it." Alex said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Sorry that I asked, I didn't know that it's a bad memory…"

[N-No, it's okay…] Kimiko shook her head, avoiding eye contact with Alex. [I just… still have bad memories from way back…]

"I didn't know… I'm sorry." Alex apologized as he looked down.

[It's okay, please don't get sad.] Kimiko replied. [I… I will tell you about the place I'm from someday, but just… not now…]

"I understand." Alex nodded. "But please, don't feel obligated to do so. I won't force you. If you feel like sharing with me, then do so. I'll be here to listen to you."

[Thank you, Alex.] Kimiko said as she turned towards him and smiled with her eyes watery.

"N-No need to thank me…" Alex replied as he scratched the back of his head.

' _Fuck, she's too cute…'_ he thought to himself while scratching his head. As his thought entered his head though, he quickly remembered that Kimiko had the ability to read his mind at any time, so he tried to suppress it.

[C-Can I ask you something?] Kimiko's voice rang through Alex's head again.

"Sure, ask away." Alex smiled.

[Where are your parents?] she asked. [You showed me around the house, but I didn't see them. Where are they?]

"Oh, they're rarely home." Alex replied. "They work far, far away from here and they don't come home frequently."

[Work?] Kimiko asked. [What sort of work?]

"Well, they don't tell me even when I ask them." Alex said as he scratched his chin. "Apparently it's something important and secretive if they don't tell even me. But, knowing them, it's probably something related to science. Maybe they're finally gonna develop something that will help me learn stuff without having to read it somewhere."

[I see.] Kimkiko nodded. [I don't fully get it though…]

"Well, basically, I assume their job is to find new ways to make some tasks easier." Alex said. "Like, for example, develop something that will help you memorize things faster and easier. Or maybe develop something that will allow you to become stronger and more fit more easily. Or, I don't know, cure Cancer?"

[How would they do that?] Kimiko asked, despite not knowing about some of the things Alex was talking about.

"Well, that's the tough part, I don't know either." Alex replied. "Maybe they'll make some consumables for that, or maybe develop machines that will help us for it, I have no idea, really."

[All of this sounds… complicated.] Kimiko said quietly.

"Well, it's mostly complicated to work on the said things. Imagining them is not hard." Alex said. "Though, I'd understand why you would be confused. As we established earlier, I cannot really explain things properly…"

Suddenly Kimiko perked up, the bathrobe's hood falling off her head, revealing her still wet hair.

[I just remembered something!] Kimiko said.

"What is it?" Alex asked her, surprised by her sudden exclamation.

[I just remembered the conversation we had after I created the Mind Link.] Kimiko said. [When we were trying to find out how did I get here. When you tried to explain me about 'video games' and 'television'.]

"Yeah, what about it?" Alex asked, still not sure what was she getting at.

[Do you remember I told you there's a way for me to assimilate knowledge from within your mind?] Kimiko asked.

"Oh yeah!" Alex said. "It was right before Jessica barged in the room."

[Yes, that's right.] Kimiko nodded.

"So, how do you do it?" Alex asked her. "The whole assimilation thing, I mean. Will it hurt you?"

[No, as long as I don't overdo it.] Kimiko shook her head.

"Overdo it?" Alex asked. "What do you mean?"

[When I'm assimilating knowledge, I must be aware of the fact that I can't take all of it at once.] Kimiko explained. [In order to prevent damage for both of us, I'll have to only copy the basics from you and then go bit by bit from there.]

"You can't get it all at once?" Alex asked. "Why not?"

[A sudden influx of information in such an enormous size will overwork our brain activity, which will make us fall asleep or faint for long periods of time.] Kimiko further explained. [While we're unconscious, our mind will slowly make sense of all the information we've learned through the link and when we wake up, it will be like we've always knew the stuff we've copied.]

"I'm not too sure if the brain works like that…" Alex said as he scratched his head. "But it's not like I can't prove it doesn't, so I'll just accept that."

[That's what… mom told me when she taught me how to do it…] Kimiko stated with sadness evident in her voice. She quickly shook her head and forced a smile. [I-I know that it works, I've done it twice already.]

"Oh. I see." Alex nodded. "Well then, how does it work?"

[W-Well, it requires a bit of… p-physical contact…] she blushed as she said it.

"O-Oh." Alex blushed as well. "W-What exactly do you mean by that?"

The 'physical contact' part could mean lots of things. All he could hope for is for the 'physical contact' to be harmless for either of them at the very least.

[W-Well…] Kimiko nervously rubbed her left arm. [S-Since I'm still a bit weakened, I-I can't reach out to your mind from a distance, so I have to move our minds c-closer.]

"Wait, if you can't reach out to my mind, how did you even create the Mind Link in the first place? How did you enter my memories?" Alex asked her, his cheeks now a lighter shade of red.

[T-The creation of the Mind Link a-and the memory check I did on you don't require much energy and don't strain our minds that much.] Kimiko replied. [T-They were a bit problematic to me still, as my e-energy was extremely low.]

"You still lack the energy though, you almost fainted when you lifted Jessica up too…" Alex sighed.

[O-Once the Mind Link is established, it's no problem for me to speak in your mind. I-It barely takes any effort.] Kimiko said. [B-But, the assimilation process requires me to use my mind effectively. I-It would be almost impossible for me in this state, unless I h-help myself somehow…]

"I-I see…" Alex nodded slowly. "Are you sure you'll be okay though? I mean, you said it yourself. You're still weakened and if there's a chance you might faint, then I wouldn't want to risk it."

[N-No, I'll be fine.] she shook her head. [I-If I copy some of your knowledge into my mind it will make things easier for both of us. S-So, please…]

Kimiko looked towards Alex. Her beautiful blue eyes captivated him, just like every time he saw them since the morning. Her eyes were magnificent, but they only complimented her overall beauty.

Alex couldn't resist. But he didn't want to, anyways.

"I don't mind." Alex smiled at her. "Just please, be careful."

She nodded her head, before looking away from Alex once more with her blush deepening. He did the same thing as he felt his face getting hotter and hotter.

"S-So, uh, how do you plan to…" Alex scratched the back of his head once more as he turned towards Kimiko, only to see her slowly scooting towards him while sitting on the sofa.

The closer she got to him, the redder her cheeks were getting. She was embarrassed that such an approach was necessary in order for her curiosity to be satisfied.

Not even half a minute later, she was sitting right next to Alex. Both her and Alex's faces were redder than tomatoes. Both of them seemed to be embarrassed by what was to come.

Alex looked away from Kimiko's direction, trying to hide his obvious embarrassment. This didn't really help him however, for as soon as he looked away, a white hand gently brushed again his cheek and slowly turned his head in the opposite direction.

Alex was once again facing Kimiko, who was no longer sitting on the sofa. Instead, she was now kneeling on top of it, right next to Alex while facing him. He couldn't see her eyes as her movements made her hair cover them, resulting in him seeing only her cheeks, mouth and her perfectly rounded chin.

Her cheeks have gotten from white to crimson, suggesting that she was about as embarrassed as he was, perhaps even more.

She moved her hand away from his cheek and instead placed it on his shoulder, followed by her other hand also placed on his other shoulder, thus forcing him to turn fully towards her.

Her current kneeling position made her momentarily taller than Alex who was sitting on the sofa, albeit rather tensely. With him facing Kimiko fully, she began to slowly lower her head towards Alex's all the while her breathing began to get heavier the closer she got to him.

Her face was getting closer and closer to his, shortening the distance between the two of them with each passing second. Alex could only wonder what was she about to do next.

Was she about to hug him? Or maybe rest her head on top of his? Or perhaps, just perhaps, _kiss him_? More and more possibilities were presenting themselves to him in his mind with each passing second, however, unbeknownst to him, his questions were silently answered by the Gardevoir kneeling in front of him.

Alex, whose mind was busy trying to come up with possible scenarios that could play out in the given situation, suddenly found Kimiko kneeling in front of him on the couch, with her forehead touching his.

Her face was completely red from embarrassment and her breathing was heavy and irregular. Alex's face was also flushed and albeit his breathing was somewhat normal, his heart was beating like crazy.

He was staring at Kimiko with his eyes widened, only to realize that she had her eyes closed. Her wet hair was sticking to his face, causing several drops of water to travel down his cheeks, nose and forehead.

"U-Uhm…" Alex was about so say something, but was interrupted by a strange sensation in his head.

It was hard to describe the sensation that he could feel. It was somewhat pleasant, yet alien and weird. It felt as if someone was gently poking the insides of his head. And while this did sound rather unnerving, it wasn't as bad as one would expect it to be.

While this was happening, Alex suddenly felt something else. He felt somebody in his mind. Memories began flashing through his head as he was forced to relieve them. Every single memory he had flashed before his eyes for mere seconds. He remembered his first words, his first pet, first day in elementary school, first friend, absolutely everything.

The memories kept flashing back and forth, making him remember many different of things at once. Some of his memories he relived several times.

He couldn't tell how long was this went on for. It could have been a minute but it also could have been an hour. His perception of time and space was currently lost since all he could see and think about were his past experiences and everything that he knew.

Then suddenly, the weird sensations came to an abrupt end.

His memories stopped flashing through his mind and he snapped back into reality, finding himself back in his living room with Kimiko's forehead still touching his.

"Whoa… That was wild." he panted out. "Don't you agree, Kimiko?" he turned towards the Gardevoir kneeling across him.

He didn't get a response however. Kimiko was unresponsive, sitting on her knees while not moving an inch.

"Uh, Kimiko?" Alex called out to her as he gently shook her. This didn't seem to work either, however as she still didn't even react to it in the slightest.

Suddenly, Kimiko lost her balance and began falling forward, with her forehead still touching Alex's. Albeit extremely light, Kimiko managed to push Alex down into the couch, with her laying on top of him.

Kimiko was now laying on top of Alex with her face right next to his. Alex's face was redder than a rose out of embarrassment. He couldn't think straight for some reason and was unsure of what should he do now. He tried gently pushing her away so that he could get up, but soon realized that for some reason his energy had almost completely left him, leaving him underneath the Gardevoir.

He took a look at her face, only to find out that she had lost consciousness once more. His concern for both of them only grew as he suddenly felt himself drifting off as well.

"K-Kimiko…" he called out as loud as he could. But he never got a response. The energy he had left was extremely little, so he couldn't move even a muscle, yet alone talk properly.

Alex tried to move his hands and legs, but couldn't manage to do it. At that point he realized that he was trapped and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Was that the side effect of the assimilation Kimiko tried to do? Did she strain herself too much? Will she be okay? Will he be okay?

These were the questions that Alex kept asking himself as he laid there, unable to do anything.

Before he knew it, his eyelids began getting heavier and heavier as he began feeling more and more drowsy. He tried to keep himself awake, tried to fight his urge to sleep, but eventually, he lost the battle he was waging with himself.

Eventually, he closed his eyes, despite his unwillingness to do so. With every passing second, he felt himself drifting off to dreamland and at this point, he had no choice but to succumb.

 _Seconds later, Alex's energy left him completely as everything around him became black._

{[Scene End]}

* * *

 **Another one done.**

 **First off, sorry for the wait… again. As I said, summer is nice. I love summer. I rarely manage to do anything productive during it, though. I had lots of stuff to do and lots of procrastination and laziness to keep me from doing it. But I mean, the chapter is here, so there's that.**

 **Regarding the chapter, I had a bit of a writer's block during it, mostly because I didn't know if I wanted to keep it going and reveal what happened to Kimiko and Alex after the 'session', but I chose not to make it too long and just cut it there. Sorry if it feels sudden.**

 **So, as you all can read I'm trying out some stuff with Tenanth, mostly to foreshadow what is to come. I don't know if it's good enough, being vague ain't really my thing, but hey, I'm trying!**

 **As I said in the A/Ns at the beginning, I already feel like the story will crumble down when we get to the actual "plot", but I still want to see it through, so I hope you guys will bear with me when the time comes.**

 **But for now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please make sure to Follow, Favorite, Review or do all of them. Any of these actions is greatly appreciated!**

 **Enormous 'Thank You!' to Agent of the Divine One for Beta reading my chapter! Thank you for your great work!**

 **Please let me know if you've spotted any typos or any other kind of grammatical errors in the chapter! You help me greatly by doing so!**

' _ **Stay awesome!'**_

 **\- Xeroz/Xerozzuro**


	7. Chapter 7

**Greetings everyone, Xeroz here. How are you all? I hope you're all doing okay!**

 **I'm sorry for my quite lengthy absence, I've been… a bit busy.**

 **I know that I said I'll try not to take too long, and trust me, I did try, but sadly, things don't always quite work out as we want them to.**

 **Anyways, I'm back here again with the latest installment of 'The Fate of Two Lost Souls'.**

 **I don't have much to say, so without further ado, please enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Key:**_

"Speech"

 _'Thought'_

[Mind link]

 **"Pokéspeech"**

 _:_ _Phone calls_ _:_

 **"Tenanth's speech"**

*Action, Background action*

(Author remarks, rant, whatever)

 _{[Flashback/Start/End]}_

{[Scene Break/Start/End]}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Pokémon or its characters.** **It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **More Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own any of the games, companies, websites, etc. mentioned through this story. Their sole purpose in this story is to add some detail.** **All the rights go to their respective owners.**

 **I** _ **do**_ **claim ownership of my OCs and plot of this story however, as well as the story itself.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

{[Scene Start]}

It was the familiar scenery yet again - total and utter darkness that he could somehow maneuver through without a problem. Sure, it had happened only once so far, but it was something he quickly got accustomed to for some reason.

He was once more wandering around the endless void all the while looking around himself so that he could see the amazing sights around him. Quite spectacular really – just a blank, empty space.

It was the same void in which he met the supposed dragon that was inhabiting his mind somehow, he was sure of it, but it still seemed somewhat different.

He couldn't see, hear, nor feel the presence of the enormous entity. It was as if he was all alone in the endless darkness, accompanied by nothing but his thoughts.  
He didn't really like that.

"Hello?" Alex called out. "Alex to the dragon, do you hear me?"

But no answer came.

"Well, that's bloody great." Alex sighed. "Where has this dragon gone to? I really would appreciate some clarity about stuff."

He didn't really understand why was he talking aloud to himself. Perhaps it was his habit of doing so, or perhaps it was his attempt to silence the unbearable scream of the silence itself. He kept walking forward, unsure of what was happening and why he was here.

He remembered Kimiko using the weird 'assimilation' ability of hers so that she could 'copy' some of his knowledge in order to find out about the new world she found herself in. He then remembered her falling over him and his energy being sapped off as his eyelids began getting heavier and heavier.

It was evident to him that he wasn't awake currently and he was once more in the weird realm of his mind where Tenanth could easily speak to him. So why was the dragon not here?

It seemed to him that he was completely alone in the void, but as he proceeded to walk further, he soon discovered that this was not the case.

In the distance, Alex saw a silhouette. It looked like a person that was just standing in the distance, facing away from him. This, of course, unnerved him as he was pretty sure he was supposed to be alone in _there_ , wherever _there_ was.

Yet, curiosity took over Alex as he slowly began approaching the silhouette, trying his best to remain silent. The silhouette never moved from its place and remained still, as if it was a statue.

Alex finally got close enough to it. He was standing directly behind it. Just as he was about to speak up, the shadowy figure slowly turned around, facing him. As the figure turned around, Alex took a step back with his mouth agape in awe.

What was standing before Alex, was another Alex.

"W-What the-" Alex began but was interrupted by a loud, gruff voice.

 **"Don't approach him!"** Tenanth's familiar voice echoed through the void.

"T-Tenanth?!" Alex yelled in response. "Where are you?! Why is there another me here?!"

A small orb of light appeared next to Alex, hovering and orbiting beside him.

 **"This is… something that you shouldn't have seen."** Tenanth's voice echoed once more, but much more silently than before.

Alex looked towards the orb. It was glowing with a faint white light. The light around it was gently pulsating.

"Yo, Tenanth, is that you? In that orb?" Alex asked as he brought his hand close to the levitating orb in an attempt to touch it.

 **"Yes, it is I."** Tenanth replied with his voice seemingly coming from the orb. **"The presence of this… 'being' doesn't allow me to fully manifest next to you. This orb will have to do."**

"Yeah, speaking of that, just what am I looking at?" Alex asked as he turned back towards his 'clone' that appeared to not even move. "Is it some broken mirror?"

 **"This… is you."** Tenanth said with a sigh. **"Well, a former part of you, at least."**

"O…kay?" Alex asked, urging him to continue.

 **"I did say that you told me years ago not to reveal anything to your 'new self', didn't I?"** Tenanth explained. **"Well, this is the 'old self'. Or, well, at least how you perceive it."**

 **' _Thank Nherzul he's not seeing himself in his usual form… That would've been problematic.'_** the dragon thought to himself.

"W-Why am I seeing that though?" Alex asked. "He wasn't here before, so why is he here now?"

 **"The Gardevoir did use her powers to access your memories. She made you remember many, many things. I guess this afterimage of your former self is a result of it."** the dragon explained. **"In any case, it should disappear once you wake up. Just, ignore it. Don't speak to it. Don't interact with it."**

"Why?" Alex asked.

 **"Because you're not ready for it."** the dragon said vaguely. **"I am trying to keep the promise I made to you years ago."**

"Ah, there you go, being vague and shit again." Alex said with a sigh. "I thought you were gonna explain stuff to me, man. What happened with that?"

 **"I will explain everything you're curious about and everything that should be explained, but only when the time is right."** the dragon re-stated his earlier statement. **"For now, just try to wake up."**

"*sigh* You're not making it any easier on me man…" Alex said as he put his hand on his forehead and sighed.

He then looked towards the 'clone'. It was still standing still, but it seemed to be slowly crumbling and turning into dust.

"Yo, what the…" Alex squinted his eyes and took a step back.

 **"Sealed off memories are not easily restored, Partner."** Tenanth said. **"Should you have touched him, you would've become just like him – an empty shell of past doings."**

"Shit, man." Alex swore silently, still watching the 'clone' slowly disappear.

 **"Please, just be patient and let me do my job."** Tenanth pleaded once more. **"When the time is right, I'll reveal everything."**

Alex's 'clone' finally disappeared completely as Alex stood in the same spot, completely awestruck.

"A-Alright, whatever you say, man." Alex gulped. "I'll try to be patient."

" **Good."** Tentanth simply said.

A brief silence then followed as neither Alex nor Tenanth knew what exactly to say.

"Sooo, uuuh…" Alex scratched the back of his head. "How do I get out of here?"

 **"Patience is a virtue."** Tenanth replied. **"There's nothing you or I can do about you being here. Just be patient, I'm sure you'll wake up soon enough."**

"Guess you're right." Alex nodded. "I just hope I don't feel as crappy as I did in the morning."

 **"Can't make any promises."** came Tenanth's reply.

Just as he said that, the void around Alex began to crack and break slowly. Alex began looking around in panic as it was the first time this was happening.

 **"I told you."** Tenanth said before the orb that was beside Alex disappeared.

"You didn't tell me shiiiiii-" Alex tried to respond, only to get cut off by the floor of the void beneath him.

He began freefalling, finding himself in yet another void. This time though, the void was white and bright. He felt himself falling towards somewhere with the light blinding his eyes.

He was still yelling at the now gone dragon as his fall didn't seem to be coming close to its end.

{[Scene Break]}

Alex's eyes suddenly snapped open. He jumped up slightly due to his sudden awakening. He frantically began looking around himself, trying to find out whether he was still dreaming or not.

As he looked around, he saw his living room's table, the TV, the shelfs, his consoles, the door and the windows. Realizing that he was no longer dreaming, he sighed out in relief.

He felt something light on top of him and as he looked towards it, he saw Kimiko still wearing the bathrobe on top of him. She seemed to be out cold.

He remembered everything that happened before he fainted. He remembered the weird 'assimilation' thing Kimiko mentioned, her method of doing it, her forehead against his, his memories being replayed over and over and over again in his head and finally – the fainting.

' _Damn, didn't know Pokémon can do stuff like that…'_ Alex thought to himself. _'Well, I didn't know they actually exist until yesterday either.'_

He began to sit up, but before even lifting his back off the couch, he came to the realization that his strength still hasn't fully returned, making it hard for him to move.

' _Huh, this is new.'_ he thought to himself again. _'I'd be able to sit up, usually.'_

Kimiko, who was still asleep on top of Alex, stirred slightly due to Alex's light movements.

' _Should I try to wake her up? What do I even do now?'_ Alex's thoughts echoed through his mind.

He looked down towards Kimiko, whose head was now buried in Alex's chest, hiding her face completely. The wetness of her hair was damping his hoodie, which was causing him a slight discomfort, but it was something he could bear with for a while.

He really wanted to get up, yet he was unable to do so. His strength was somehow sapped by the performing of the 'assimilation' which immobilized him for the time being. Then again, even if he could move, he really doubted that he would as he was risking accidentally waking up the girl that was taking a nap on top of him.

Just as he was thinking that, Kimiko began lightly stirring once more. A light moan escaped her lips as her hands and legs began moving lightly. She slowly turned her head and looked upwards towards Alex with her head still on his chest.

Alex looked down towards Kimiko immediately after he felt her shifting her position on top of him. He soon found himself staring into her deep, beautiful blue eyes once more. It was as if they made him go into a trance that he could hardly break out of.

He came back to his senses though and realizing that he was staring at her for too long, he spoke up.

"G-Good morning…" he said silently.

[G-Good morning…] Kimiko replied in a similar fashion.

"Uh, glad to see you're awake." Alex said. "You kind of, passed out on top of me."

[O-Oh! I-I'm really sorry!] Kimiko said as she blushed. [W-Was I too heavy?]

"What? No! Not at all!" Alex replied. "It's not that! You're pretty light. I was just concerned. It happened out of the blue like that, so I was a bit alarmed."

[W-What happened?] Kimiko asked as she attempted to stand up, only to realize that she is unable to. [What? Why-Why can't I move?]

"Yeah, about that…" Alex said. "I, uh, kinda can't move either. I just, woke up and found myself beneath you. I've been unable to get up though, my arms and legs are kinda… stuck."

[S-Sorry!] Kimiko blushed even harder. [I-Is it because I was asleep on them?]

"What? No!" Alex replied. "I told you, you're pretty light, I barely felt you. I have no idea why I can't move. I just woke up and was unable to."

[W-What exactly happened?] she asked once more.

"Well, you did the 'assimilation' thing on me and you kind of… passed out." Alex explained. "Don't you remember?"

[Yes, I do remember trying to assimilate your memories and some of the things you've learned…] Kimiko nodded. [But I don't remember why did I pass out…]

"Ah, well, I can't tell either." Alex shook his head. "You just kinda… tilted forward and before I knew it, I was laying on the couch with you on top of me."

[O-Oh…] Kimiko looked away. [I-I'm sorry…]

"You have nothing to apologize for." Alex said. "If anything, I'm surprised you managed to push me down. As I said, you're pretty light, so I'm trying to make sense of that."

[Is it… that weird?] Kimiko asked.

"I wouldn't say weird. Maybe unlikely would be more fitting." Alex said with a smile. "In any case, are you okay?"

[Yes, I'm okay.] Kimiko nodded. [What about you?]

"I'm fine too." Alex said. "Startled me a bit at first, but y'know, it's all good now."

[I-I'm sorry that you got scared.] Kimiko hid her face in Alex's hoodie again.

"I told you, there's nothing to apologize for." Alex said. "If this will help you in any way, then I don't mind."

[B-But, it wouldn't have happened if I-] Kimiko tried to protest, but Alex interrupted her.

"Don't argue with me on this, please." Alex said. "I agreed to do it and I knew it was all for your sake. What happened was an accident which you didn't know could happen. You're not at fault, I'm not angry and you have nothing to apologize for. Alright?"

Kimiko didn't say anything. All she could do was stare at Alex and blink every once in a while. She really didn't get it. Was he not afraid? Was he not aware of what had happened? Was he not scared of what had occurred? And if so, why was he not scared? Why was he willing to put his health, mind and body at risk because of her?

These thoughts couldn't leave her alone. She kept staring at him, not making a noise.

Eventually, she was taken out of her trance after Alex spoke.

"Oh yeah, now that I mentioned it…" Alex began. "That whole 'assimilation' thing, did it work? Did you manage to get any information from my head?"

[Ah, y-yes, I did.] Kimiko nodded. [I saw your memories and went to the very basics of your language and some of your customs. I learned the English alphabet, as well as the name of several objects, but not how do they work or where do they come from.]

"Whoa!" Alex exclaimed. "You learned all of that in under a minute? Damn! It took me several years to do that!"

[U-Uhm…] Kimiko struggled to find an answer to that, so all she did was hum in his head.

"O-Oh, sorry, I uh, got a little too excited for that." Alex said. "I guess I was, uh, impressed, to say the least. I mean, you absorbed all of that in under a minute, while it took me several years. That's pretty impressive."

[I-I see.] Kimiko nodded again. [S-So, I was able to successfully assimilate a small part of your knowledge, so that should make it easier for us to make sense out of this whole situation.]

"Hmmm, well, at the very least, it would save me my bad explanations so that I don't make a complete fool out of myself." Alex said with a light laugh. "So, yeah, it will definitely make it easier."

Kimiko lifted her head off Alex's chest, hovering over him while supporting herself with her hands. However, neither her nor Alex realized that she had just moved, despite having difficulties earlier.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, you said you learned the alphabet, right?" Alex asked, receiving a note from Kimiko. "Well, if that's the case, are you now able to speak? I mean, speak English."

[No.] Kimiko shook her head. [I _may_ be able to write the letters and write sentences, but definitely not talk.]

"Oh, I see." Alex nodded. "Why would it take more time though? Isn't that something you can just assimilate?"

[N-No, it's a bit harder when it comes to practical skills such as talking.] Kimiko shook her head once more. [If I want to learn to talk through your memories, I'll have to repeatedly invade your mind and assimilate your memories.]

"I see." Alex said. "Alright then, we'll just keep doing that until you have all the knowledge you need."

Hearing him say that, Kimiko got a bit sad.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

[Are you not scared?] Kimiko asked him.

"Huh?" Alex hummed in response.

[You saw what happened. You felt it, experienced it even.] Kimiko continued. [Are you not afraid that it may happen again? Are you not afraid that this might be affecting you negatively somehow?]

A short silence followed after Kimiko asked her questions. Alex, albeit a bit dumbstruck at first, didn't take too long with his answer.

"Yeah, I saw what happened. Yeah, I felt it. Yeah, I was startled when it happened as well as when I came back here." Alex began. "But…"

[But…?] Kimiko urge him to continue.

"But I know that it wasn't intentional. I know that you didn't do it with any bad intention or just to harm me." Alex explained. "I know that this is necessary for you in order to make sense of your current situation, so that's why I'm doing it."

[But why?] Kimiko asked. [Why would you risk yourself and your health like this because of someone you met last night?]

"I already told you, didn't I?" Alex said. "It's because I feel it's the right thing to do. You need help and I can provide help, so that's what I'm doing."

Kimiko had heard this for the third time now, but it still seemed odd to her. Was that really a valid reason to do something like that? Was this a custom? Was Alex just this nice by default?

Sure, she did check his mind for any 'bad thoughts' when she managed to regain some of her powers after he fed her, but she still found it odd. Perhaps she was still doubting him?

"Besides…" Alex's voice stopped her train of thought. "I have this weird feeling in me. It's some sort of a drive, if you wanna call it like that. It's as if like I feel _obliged_ to help you and make sure you're fine. Does that seem weird?"

Kimiko's eyes widened as she heard this. Could this be it? Could this be the final nail in the coffin?

Using her purple fin-like spike on her chest, Kimiko tried to do the one thing she was able to do since she was a Ralts – read Alex's emotions. Sure, she did check his mind, but she wanted to be absolutely, undoubtedly, 100% sure that Alex was indeed telling the truth.

The spike began glowing softly as Alex's mind and emotions exposed themselves for her to see like an open book. As she read his emotions, she finally had the absolute confirmation she asked for.

Her lips curled into a sly smile, her eyes got watery and her cheeks got rosy all of a sudden. In her mind, one thing was for sure – Alex wasn't lying.

His 'drive' as he called it, his concern, his willingness to help her in any way he can – they were genuine. She was really, really happy to find this out.

"Uhm, Kimiko?" Alex called out to her. "Is everything okay?"

Realizing that he was still waiting for a reply, she shook her head quickly so that Alex couldn't see her watery eyes and replied.

[Y-Yes, I'm sorry, I kind of… spaced out.] Kimiko said. [A-As for you question – n-no, i-it doesn't seem weird at all. I-In fact, I'm really g-glad to hear that you f-feel like that.]

"I see." Alex nodded. "Well, it is true. For as long as you need, I'll be here and I'll help you with whatever I can."

[T-Thank you, Alex.] Kimiko nodded as her smile grew. She stared into Alex's eyes, albeit Alex was unable to notice, due to her still-wet hair covering them.

Both of them laid on the couch in silence with none of them even trying to check if they can move.

"Uuuh, what exactly am I walking on to?" a feminine third voice suddenly rang through Alex's living room.

Both Alex and Kimiko's eyes widened as they had realized that Jessica was finally back from her not-too-short trip to her house. Both of them turned their heads towards her and after their brains finally kicked into gear, both of them squeaked.

Kimiko jumped off Alex and in one swift movement she sat on the opposite end of the couch. Her face was now as red as a tomato. She tried to hide it with her hair as she looked away from both Alex and Jessica.

Similarly to her, Alex quickly stood up and found himself a bit farther from where he was originally seated before fainting with Kimiko on top of him, but he was still seated on the couch. His face was also red due to the embarrassment he just felt due to Jessica catching him with Kimiko like that.

"Oh, uuuh, h-hi, Jess." Alex greeted her with a slight stutter. "Y-You didn't take long at all, hehe."

"Yeah, well, lots of free cabs at this time of day. Though, there was still some traffic so it was still a bit- Wait, hold on!" Jessica began to explain before cutting herself off as realization struck her. "Don't change the topic! What did I walk in to, Alex?!"

"Uuh, well, uuuh…" Alex scratched the back of his head as his eyes darted back and forth from Kimiko to Jessica.

Just as he did that though, realization struck him. He slowly brought his hand to his face. Suddenly, he smiled joyfully.

"I can move!" Alex suddenly exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch on his feet. "Holy crap, I didn't realize it until now! Kimiko, can you move?" Asked Alex as he turned his way towards Kimiko.

She moved her hands and legs around and just like Alex, she slowly sit up, careful not to let the bathrobe slip off her.

[Y-Yes! I can move as well!] Kimiko exclaimed.

"Will somebody please explain to me what is happening?!" Jessica yelled out.

{[Scene Break]}

"Okay, so let me see if I understood all of this correctly…" Jessica said as she pinched the dorsal of her nose.

For the past ten minutes or so, she was sat on the couch with Alex and Kimiko sitting on either of her sides, trying to explain what exactly had happened and why was Kimiko on top of Alex. Albeit it wasn't a hard thing to explain, Jessica was still, for some reason, having a hard time processing it.

"Kimiko here somehow got inside your mind," she began, "viewed your memories so that she can learn from them, this went on for about a minute, then both of you suddenly lost all of your energy, she pushed you down on the couch, both of you fainted and when you woke up you couldn't move. Did I get all of this down right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." Alex nodded. "Sounds pretty weird, I know, but that's what happened."

"But it doesn't make any sense!" Jessica exclaimed. "First off, how does the whole thing with the memories even work?! This isn't one of these sci-fi movies with memory transplants and all! This is real life, for crying out loud! Also how did she manage to push you down? I didn't really try to lift her while we were in the shower, but she definitely didn't feel that heavy!"

"Y-Yeah, look, some of the things, even I don't understand…" Alex scratched the back of his head. "But I'm telling you, this is what happened. Why would I lie about something like that?"

"Because, uh, well…" Jessica tried to reply, but didn't really find a good comeback. "B-Because, well… I-I don't know! A-An instinct, maybe? Maybe you're afraid that I'll yell at you again! I don't know, okay?!"

"A-Alright, look Jess, calm down. Calm down." Alex put his hand on her shoulder. "I know that it sounds outlandish, but think about it. Kimiko is a Pokémon. She _is_ outlandish herself. She can do things that we cannot sometimes perceive. She didn't harm me in any way, shape or form. She warned me that she can put a strain on herself or me if she overdoes it, but I told her that I'll help her if she will benefit from it. It's not her fault."

"Damn it, Alex, here you go again." Jessica sighed. "Always trying to put the blame on yourself. Always trying to shift it in another direction. Always trying to ignore the problem."

"It's who I am." Alex smiled. "Also, I'm fairly certain Kimiko can prove that she indeed learned something from my memories."

"Really now? How?" Jessica sighed once more.

"Gimme a sec." Alex said as he stood up from the couch and walked to the living room's door. "Be right back, gotta find some paper."

With that, Alex walked out of the door, leaving Kimiko and Jessica alone in the living room. Kimiko was still blushing because of Jessica catching her with Alex like that, while Jessica was looking tired, concerned and upset all at the same time.

"Okay, I think I interrogated him enough, your turn now." Jessica said as she turned her head towards Kimiko. "What exactly was going on? What did you do to him?"

Kimiko was ready to explain to her, she truly was. But there was one problem. She wasn't able to create a second 'Mind Link' and project her thoughts to Jessica for her to understand. Why wasn't she able to create a second link, she didn't know, but it was seriously challenging her interaction with Jessica and she didn't like that.

" **U-Uhm, well…"** Kimiko tried to explain verbally, but the confused look on Jessica's face reminded her that she was not able to understand her.

"Right, I forgot, I'm sorry." Jessica said. "Okay, how about this, I'll ask my questions in a way in which you can answer with a simple 'Yes' or 'No', will that be okay?"

Kimiko nodded at Jessica's proposition.

"Alright then." Jessica said. "So, were you really in Alex's head? Reading his memories?" Jessica asked, receiving two nods from Kimiko.

"Okay, then does it actually work? Learning from his memories and all? Did you pick up anything?" Jessica asked again, earning three more nods in return.

"Did you learn how to speak?" Jessica asked, receiving a negative answer from Kimiko this time.

"I see…" Jessica said. "Then what did you learn? How to play video games and avoid studying?"

Kimiko lightly giggled at Jessica's words, but didn't give her a definitive answer.

"Would've been easier if you could talk to me the way you're doing with Alex." Jessica said. "Then I wouldn't have to ask you such stupid questions and hope to land on a correct assumption."

Kimiko nodded her head sadly and looked down at her lap.

"Hey, it's okay." Jessica said as she put a hand on Kimiko's shoulder. "I'm not saying it's your fault. I'm just worrying about him. I just want to make sure he's okay. I just want to make sure he knows that I'm with him. I worry about him, Kimiko."

Kimiko nodded in acknowledgement.

"So please, don't be mad at me for being so cautious." Jessica said. "He's one of my best friends and I'd be absolutely devastated if something was to happen to him. He's a good guy, strange and annoying, sometimes even borderline idiotic, but a good guy nonetheless."

Kimiko looked towards Jessica and nodded smiling.

Just as she did that, Alex entered the living room once more. He was carrying a pile of papers as well as several pens and markers in his hands. Jessica raised a brow when she saw him like this, whereas Kimiko just looked at him puzzled.

"Sorry, that took me a while." Alex said as he put the papers and pens on the table. "You know how it is in my room."

"Yeah, messy as hell." Jessica shook her head. "Anyways, what are these for?"

"Me and Kimiko will prove to you that she truly did assimilate some of my memories." Alex said as he looked towards Kimiko. "Kimiko, you did say you learned the alphabet, right?"

Kimiko suddenly realized what was Alex's intention. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Then, can you try to write it down for Jessica?" Alex asked her. "Just, exactly what was going on and what were you doing. Do you think you'll be able to?"

[I-I know the alphabet, as well as how to write. I'm not sure the sentences will be correctly written, but I will try.] Kimiko said as she grabbed a pen and a piece of paper.

"Okay, what exactly are you two doing?" Jessica asked.

"Just trying to prove that what we told you is the truth." Alex replied. "I'm pretty sure she will be able to explain."

"Do you think so?" Jessica asked as she looked towards Kimiko, who was writing something on the piece of paper, albeit with slight effort. "Will she draw it or something?"

"I'm almost certain it'll be easy for you to understand. She said she can do it." Alex said.

"Do what?" Jessica turned towards Alex. "Explain, Alex. Don't just leave me in the dark on this."

"Just give her a few minutes." Alex said as he sat next to Jessica. "You'll see that I wasn't lying to you."

Fortunately for both of them, they didn't have to wait long before Kimiko was finished writing on the paper. She handed it to Jessica who took it with a confused face.

"Alex is not lie, me only tried to learn from his memory." Jessica read aloud Kimiko's note.

Albeit not properly written, the general idea was still present in Jessica's mind. Alex was not lying, Kimiko truly tried to simply learn through his memories.

"Okay, Kimiko." Jessica nodded. "This bit, I understood. But did it work? What did you learn? How does it work? And what exactly happened afterwards?"

Kimiko took another piece of paper and began writing once again.

"Okay, I'll go ahead and assume she had no idea how to write or even hold a pen prior to her coming here." Jessica said. "Is that something she learned from you?"

"She said it is." Alex nodded. "It isn't as accurate as I can do it, but it makes sense. Suddenly getting this kind of skill and knowledge would get some time to be fully assimilated."

"Does it? Does it really?" Jessica asked.

"How the fuck should I know?" Alex retorted. "I'm just _trying_ to sound smart. I have no idea how much time it would take Kimiko to fully assimilate that."

"Are you even sure it works that way?" Jessica asked.

"Honestly? No." Alex said. "But it seems to work for Kimiko. I mean, she can write now without me ever explaining or showing her how. So I guess it works. Somehow."

"It still makes no sense to me…" Jessica said as she scratched her head.

"Well, same here, but I learned to live with it." Alex said.

"Already?!" Jessica asked as she looked towards Alex. "It happened a little bit over an hour ago!"

"Yeah, well, when you experience it you kinda just accept it." Alex shrugged. "Besides, Kimiko is a Pokémon that is said to be able to distort time and space with just its thoughts. If anything, I'd say this is the least she could do by viewing and assimilating my memories."

"Really?" Jessica's eyes widened as she looked back and forth at Kimiko and Alex. "Distort space and time? Where did you get that?"

"The Pokédex in the games says it." Alex said. "Considering that a living and breathing Gardevoir is sitting right next to us, I'd say that the games have a certain level of… truth in them."

"That's kinda… scary…" Jessica said as she glanced over at Kimiko who was still writing on the piece of paper, seemingly not even paying mind to Alex and Jessica's conversation.

"Yeah, well, look at it from the bright side – the Pokédex says that this only happens if a Gardevoir's Trainer is in a grave danger." Alex explained. "So it should be fine."

"Jeez, I really hope so…" Jessica sighed.

Just as she said that, Kimiko handed her the second piece of paper that she was writing just a second ago. Jessica looked at her, then at the paper and then right back at her. She reluctantly took the paper and began reading aloud.

"It did work. Me saw in Alex's memories. Me learned many things, but they not enough." Jessica read Kimiko's written sentences. "I can now write, I now understand the English language, I can now read English labels and text. I know the names of several devices and furniture. I know how to do basic things, such as writing and reading."

"Whoa." Alex said. "Her sentences suddenly got progressively better. Like, it took me lotsa time before I began writing properly. Yet, Kimiko did it in just mere minutes."

Jessica didn't respond. Instead, she kept on reading.

"I cannot explain how does it work properly." Jessica continued reading. "I reach out with my mind and look for a mind that is easily accessible. Through the 'Mind Link' that allows me to communicate with him, Alex's mind is simple for me to reach and interact with. I cannot explain the basic process, however. All it takes from me is a bit of focusing and a clear head. When I encounter a mind that I can enter, I simply do. But, with me still being weak and devoid of my energy, I had to reach to him physically and establish the connection with a physical contact as well. I put our heads close and accessed his mind."

Kimiko listened to Jessica. It was a bit embarrassing for her to have somebody read her writing out loud for everyone to hear. She looked down at her lap and fiddled with her fingers.

"I have no idea what happened afterwards." Jessica began reading the last part. "I viewed and absorbed the information within Alex's memories, then all of my energy suddenly left me. I tumbled forward and, somehow, Alex ended up below me. I fainted for a short while. When I woke up, Alex was still below me and we quickly realized we cannot move, but we didn't know why. When you walked in, we got startled and in the spur of the moment, we realized that we can move once more."

A brief silence followed. Jessica looked completely stunned as she just kept staring at the paper in her hands. Alex looked no different, but he was staring into the nothingness. Kimiko was still looking down at her lap, too embarrassed to look up.

"I'm… speechless…" Jessica said quietly, breaking the awkward silence. "This is… I cannot even describe it…"

"Do you believe us now?" Alex asked her, albeit he was just as surprised as Jessica was.

"Fuck…" Jessica swore silently. It was a rare occurrence. "I simply cannot express my thoughts even…"

Kimiko didn't even look up. She grabbed one more piece of paper and wrote a single word on it, making it as big as she could. She then put the pen back on the table and held out the paper in front of her so that the word written on it was facing Alex and Jessica.

"Sorry." Alex read the word aloud. He looked towards Kimiko and saw her hiding her eyes behind the bathrobe.

"Kimiko, please don't apologize." Jessica said as she reached out and grabbed one of Kimiko's hands, causing her to slightly flinch.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you. I'm not saying I blame you for what happened, either." Jessica explained as she scooted closer to Kimiko. "I'm just… having hard time processing it."

Kimiko didn't say anything. She didn't even react, she just kept holding the paper in her hands shakily.

"I am still having a hard time accepting that you are telling the truth." Jessica confessed. "I am still trying to fully come to terms with the fact that I'm interacting with a Pokémon, something I didn't even know exists. I still can't fully understand it, I still can't fully come to terms with it either, but if anything, I'm ready to believe that you're not lying."

Jessica reached for the paper and set it down on the table. She then scooted even closer to Kimiko and grasped her hands with her own.

"I can't explain it. I feel some sort of connection with you, as if you're an old friend returning after years of absence." Jessica continued. "I know you and Alex aren't lying, yet I still keep doubting it. I keep doubting everything. I can tell that there's no need to doubt you or Alex, but some weird feeling makes me."

Alex remained silent through the whole thing. He really wanted to speak up several times, but knowing that he'd just ruin the mood if he did, he kept silent as Jessica kept talking with Kimiko.

"Kimiko," Jessica reached with her hand and cupped Kimiko's chin, raising her head and making her look at her, "I trust you. I believe that you mean no harm to me, Alex, or anyone else. Whatever the weird feeling that is making me doubt you is, I will do my best to ignore it. I feel it in my heart, I feel it in my mind – you won't hurt us."

Kimiko didn't react, nor did she say anything. She just kept staring into Jessica's eyes. Hearing Jessica's opinion on the matter really touched her, especially when she found out that Jessica trusts her. Although she was not sure in that herself, it was still enough to make her feel good on the inside.

Kimiko's eyes became watery as her lips quivered. Jessica immediately noticed this, so she did the only thing she could think of in this situation – she scooted closer, leaned forward and hugged her.

Kimiko immediately accepted Jessica's hug and embraced her back, putting her head on her shoulder. Her pink spike albeit small still made the hug a little bit uncomfortable, but Jessica didn't care in the moment. She wanted to calm Kimiko down and show her that she cared about her.

"I'm sorry that I made you cry." Jessica whispered as she rubbed Kimiko's back. "I was just… worried when I saw you and Alex like that. I just wanted to make sure that nothing bad happened while I was away. Something in me told me that it was all right, but I kept doubting it for one reason or another. I'm sorry."

" **I-I u-understand."** Kimiko replied despite being fully aware that Jessica couldn't understand her. **"I-I'm sorry f-for causing t-trouble."**

"I still don't understand you, but I think I know what are you saying." Jessica said. "Still, please don't worry about it and please forgive me for the way I acted when I came back. I shouldn't have shouted at you two like that."

" **I-It's o-o-okay…"** Kimiko replied.

"I knew it was the wrong thing to do." Jessica continued. "As I said, despite the fact that I was terrified of you when you lifted me up in the morning, I came to realize just how gentle and innocent you are. I don't know how, it's just that every fiber in my being screams it. Something within me still doubts it, but everything else just acknowledges it. I can't understand it, but it's the truth."

Kimiko didn't say anything. Jessica was talking similarly to Alex when Kimiko was on top of him after she assimilated some of her knowledge. Now, she knew Alex wasn't lying, but she wasn't sure about Jessica. While Jessica was talking, Kimiko used her spike on her chest to come in contact with her emotions and feeling and find out if she's saying the truth as well or not.

"Please, forgive me." Jessica apologized once more. "I know that you're not gonna hurt us. Everything in me screams it. Yet, I still doubted it. I'm sorry. Please, forgive me, Kimiko."

Just as Jessica finished her sentence, Kimiko finished with the check-up of her emotions. Jessica wasn't lying either. She truly meant what she was saying.

But it was strange for Kimiko. Why did Jessica feel this way? What caused her to know that Kimiko won't harm them? Why did she doubt it even if she did know? Why are both Alex and Jessica thinking like this when they have known her for several hours only?

She couldn't explain it. Yet, it made her happy. She had someone who trusted her, who wanted to protect her. It had been a long while since she had felt that way. Too long, even.

Still, Jessica expected a response, so Kimiko gave her one.

She lifted her head off Jessica's shoulder, backed off her a bit and nodded her head. Jessica smiled as she saw this and nodded as well.

"Thank you, Kimiko." Jessica said as she released her. "I promise you I'll never doubt you again."

Kimiko nodded once more and smiled back at Jessica.

A short silence then followed. Jessica was not sure what was she supposed to say so she decided to keep quiet. Kimiko's case was pretty much the same. Alex kept quiet as well as he tried not to ruin the mood of the whole situation. Besides, seeing Jessica hug Kimiko in an attempt to calm her down was adorable so the image of that stood with him for a while, which made him zone out.

However, the silence that ruled over the room was still broken by the sound of Alex's growling stomach that roared like a demon in torture. The sound that was produced by Alex's body demanding its fuel was enough to attract everyone's attention and break up the silent atmosphere.

Kimiko and Jessica turned towards Alex slowly. They didn't say anything, both of them just stared.

Alex blushed, put his hoodie's hood on his head and turned away slightly to avoid their gazes.

' _Ah yes, bloody brilliant._ ' Alex thought to himself. _'I try to be quiet and not say dumb shit and make stuff awkward and then_ this _happens! Great work, me!'_

Before Alex could apologize for it, Jessica began chuckling slightly, which eventually grew into a loud, hearty laughter.

And when Jessica began laughing, so did Alex, although he wasn't sure why. Kimiko sat there and observed them while smiling. She was a bit confused about the whole situation they were in, but she tried her best to play along.

"Sorry." Alex said between his laughing. "Guess I'm just meant to ruin stuff."

"It's okay." Jessica replied as her laughter died down. "It's good that you managed to break up the silence, I had no idea what to say so that the conversation can carry on."

"Oh. Uuuh, you're welcome then, I guess?" Alex scratched the back of his head.

"That reminds me, I got some clothes for Kimiko." Jessica said as she pointed towards two bags that were set next to her on the couch. "I didn't find that many that would suit her, but I think I've got enough for the time being."

"Oh, damn, that's nice news." Alex said as he looked towards the bags laying on the sofa. "What about underwear?"

"I found some underwear too." Jessica nodded. "I'm not sure if it'll fit her, but she'll have to try it on."

"Hmm, yeah, good call." Alex said.

"What say you, Kimiko?" Jessica asked as she turned to look at Kimiko. "Do you want to try the clothes on?"

Kimiko nodded.

"Well then, if she's up to it, you two can go in the guest room and try them on, see if they fit and all." Alex said as he stood up from the sofa. "There's mirror so she can look at herself and see if she likes the look and all."

"Alright, that sounds nice." Jessica nodded. "But where are you going?"

"Well, my stomach was clear enough." Alex replied. "He demands food and I will supply him with food. You girls want any?"

"Uh, no, I'm good." Jessica answered and looked towards Kimiko. "What about you, Kimiko?"

[I'm not hungry.] Kimiko said in Alex's head.

"Alright then." Alex nodded. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I'll go have my breakfast."

"Right." Jessica said as she stood up from the couch. "Come then Kimiko, let's get you dressed up."

Kimiko followed suit and also stood up from the couch. Jessica grabbed the two bags and began walking towards the guest room. Kimiko grabbed the papers and pen and followed Jessica towards the room upstairs.

{[Scene Break]}

After Kimiko and Jessica left the living room, Alex made his way to the kitchen. In the short span of half a minute, his stomach began to ache badly as his hunger kept growing and growing.

Entering the kitchen, Alex immediately set out to get himself a bowl, some cereal and a bottle of milk. After grabbing everything that he needed, he put it all on the nearby table and began to prepare his breakfast.

As he poured the cereal and milk into the bowl, Alex immediately began eating as if he hadn't eaten in a week. Such an appetite was definitely not normal, especially for someone like him, who was eating twice a day most of the time.

Not even half a minute later, his first bowl of cereal was gone. Not wasting a second, he quickly poured himself another bowl of cereal and milk and resumed eating.

His body was acting strange, yet he didn't feel worried in the slightest. He just shrugged the feeling off. Whatever it was, it was going to solve itself.

Or at least, that's what he thought.

While he was eating, he felt something that he had already felt earlier that morning albeit much, much stronger. It was the faint feeling of the 'presence' that he felt when his head began hurting while he was in the laundry room.

He couldn't explain what it was, where was it coming from or why did he feel it, but it was certainly not leaving him alone.

He put his spoon down and sighed audibly. The dragon that was speaking to him definitely knew what was up, but all of Alex's attempts to get _any_ sort of information out of him were unsuccessful. He really wanted to ask him, but he knew that if he did, they would just repeat the previous conversation again.

So Alex was left there all alone to wonder what was going on and how could he get to the root of it all.

Yet, no matter how much he thought about it, he only sunk deeper in an endless maze of questions.

{[Scene End]}

* * *

 **Greetings once more, everyone!**

 **So, let me apologize for taking so long to update… again. Let me explain myself.**

 **I got a new PC recently, a true beast, and while I love it more than anything else I've ever owned, it was a real hassle to move my files, so I was quite inactive for some time when it came to my stories, art, animations or anything else, really.**

 **To add to it, school started and so did my monthly struggle for good grades. To add to all of that, I'm also participating in many courses and projects that the school organizes, so I'm kind of busy with them as well.**

 **I also began to develop a weird habit of going to the gym regularly, so this kind of eats away my time as well.**

 **So, yeah, I hope my explanation will do. Once again, I'm sorry for being absent for so long.**

 **Regardless of it, I hope you all enjoyed! If you did, please make sure to review the story and share your thoughts with me. I always love reading what you guys are thinking of this.**

 **Or, if you're feeling generous, you can even Fav/Follow! This is even more appreciated!**

 **Enormous 'Thank You!' to Agent of the Divine One for Beta reading my chapter! Thank you for your great work!**

 **Please let me know if you've spotted any typos or any other kind of grammatical errors in the chapter! You help me greatly by doing so!**

' _ **Stay awesome!'**_

 **\- Xeroz/Xerozzuro**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone, Xeroz here. How are you all doing? I hope you have been fine in my absence!**

 **I'm sorry that I have, once again, been gone for so long. I know that I promised that I'll try not to take long, but alas… I hope you guys can forgive me for my incompetence and poor time management.**

 **Regardless, I'm back with the newest installment of 'The Fate Of Two Lost Souls' which I hope you will enjoy.**

 **Without further ado, let's get into it.**

* * *

 _ **Key:**_

"Speech"

 _'Thought'_

 _[Mind link]_

 _"_ _ **Pokéspeech"**_

 _:Phone calls:_

 ** _"_ _Tenanth's speech"_**

 _"_ _{Anything written, such as notes or text messages}"_

*Action, Background action*

(Author remarks, rant, whatever)

 _{[Flashback/Start/End]}_

{[Scene Break/Start/End]}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Pokémon or its characters.** **It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and Game Freak.**

 **More Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own any of the games, companies, websites, etc. mentioned through this story. Their sole purpose in this story is to add some detail.** **All the rights go to their respective owners.**

 **I** _ **do**_ **claim ownership of my OCs and plot of this story however, as well as the story itself.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

{[Scene Start]}

It was still morning in Alex's quiet neighborhood. The sun was slowly rising over the horizon, illuminating everything in its path, bringing light and warmth to the residents of the quiet, little town, nestled comfortably next to the forest and mountain.

For some, it was yet another Saturday morning, with nothing out of the ordinary and nothing new happening.

For Alex Walker, that was not the case. His morning has been eventful ever since he woke up.

After all, how wouldn't it be? Rescuing an injured Pokémon and bringing it to your home, only to nurse it back to health to the best of your ability isn't a daily occurrence, after all.

Usually, a normal person would freak out if they were to experience what Alex was going through, yet he didn't seem to think much of it. It seemed natural to him, somehow.

Sure, he did freak out at first when he heard Tenanth's voice for the first time or when he saw Kimiko laying in the forest for the first time, but ever since these events passed, he seemed to take everything that followed quite well.

He had no explanation. He had no theories.

He just felt at ease, as if it was all natural. Deep down he knew that shouldn't have been the case, yet something else told him the opposite.

However, despite all, there was something about the whole situation that he was certain was unnatural – the amount of food he was consuming.

Alex was never the type of person to eat a lot. Ever since he became 12-13 years old, he ate twice a day only and in very small quantities. Usually he'd have snacks or sweets between his breakfast and dinner, but even then, he didn't consume much food.

His breakfasts usually consisted of a bowl of cereal or a single sandwich with ham, cheese and lettuce, whereas his dinner varied, depending on what he felt like eating or whatever his mom had cooked for him in the rare instances she was home and able to cook him something.

Yet, the amount of food he had consumed this morning was unnaturally big. He was currently on his fifth bowl of cereal, and even though he was close to finishing it, he still felt hungry.

He was hastily scooping the cereal from his bowl and chewing down on it as if he hadn't seen food in months. In several short scoops, his bowl was empty with only some of the milk remaining. But it didn't matter. The moment the cereal in the bowl was gone, he poured another.

This process kept going on and on and on and on. Eventually, the cereal in the box had ran out. Conveniently, the moment Alex realized the cereal was over, his stomach stopped hurting, letting him breathe out a sigh of relief.

With his hunger now satisfied, he grabbed the bowl with milk and drank all of it in one go, putting the bowl back on the table once he was done.

"If I barf this up later today, I'll punch myself in the stomach." Alex said to himself as he stood up from his chair and put the bowl in the sink.

As he left it there, he took a look at all the cups and bowls sitting inside the sink, waiting for him to do something about it and clean up after himself.

"Damn, how long has it been since I last washed the dishes?" Alex asked himself as he stared at the sink. "Two days? Three maybe?"

He kept on staring at the dirty bowls and cups, only to slowly walk away and start making his way to the living room.

It wasn't that he wanted the kitchen to be messy or for the utensils to remain dirty. Quite the opposite actually, Alex hated to leave his room or any other room messy.

Yet, despite this fact, he had one large problem – he procrastinated a lot. Sure, he knew that he had to wash the dishes, yet something from within stopped him. He always delayed it for later, over and over, until the sink would be overfilled or simply way too full for anything else to be put in it.

It was the same for everything else he did. School projects, homework, cleaning, etc. Of course, when matters became urgent, he would be quick to tackle them as best as he could.

Problem was, he would be too late by then.

With his breakfast now done and his dishes still dirty, he made his way to the living room and sat on the couch. He yawned quietly, still a bit tired from the conversation with Tenanth from last night.

As he sat in the living room, he heard the muffled voice of Jessica coming from the floor above him.

Currently, both her and Kimiko were upstairs in the guest room, trying on the clothes that Jessica had brought for Kimiko to wear. Alex imagined that to be a fast, quiet process, but as it turned out, that would not be the case.

Since he didn't feel like sitting in the room doing nothing, Alex decided to turn on the TV. He didn't have any intention of actually watching it, he just wanted to have some sort of background noise other than Jessica's muffled voice from upstairs.

He grabbed the remote that was laying idly on the couch and turned the TV on. No show was airing currently. Instead, there was a commercial break between shows. The one on the TV currently was about a fit black man advertising some sort of a 2-in-1 shower gel. Entertaining, but he wasn't up to watching or listening to that currently.

He went back and forth through channels, looking for something even remotely interesting to watch or listen to. Eventually, he settled on a channel that was about to air a movie that he enjoyed watching every now and again.

He put the remote down and stared blankly at the TV without really paying mind to anything that was going on it. As he sat there, his phone began to ring. Absentmindedly, he reached in his pocket to grab it and answered it without looking at the caller's info yet again.

"This is Alex." he said as he picked up.

 _:Alex Walker, we have surrounded the house.:_ a deep, raspy voice from the other end of the line said. _:Hand over all your best memes, or we will use lethal force and make you.:_

"Yeah, no, you still suck at this." Alex replied as he struggled to hold in his giggle. "You still sound way too unconvincing."

 _:Dammit.:_ the person replied, with his voice now sounding softer and higher. _:I thought I was sorta starting to get the hang of it, man.:_

"Yeah, no, sorry, you still gotta practice, like, waaaay more, dude." Alex said. "By the way, where the hell were you? I called you like, 5 times."

 _:Yeah, sorry, my battery kinda died.:_ the person responded.

"Well, you could've _kinda_ charged it." Alex said. "Ain't like you live with no electricity or somethin'."

 _:Yeah, uh, about that…:_ the person said, then made a short pause. _:My electricity has been kinda… down, since Wednesday.:_

"How come?" Alex asked. "I thought you pay it regularly."

 _:I do, but I think some sorta outage has hit me.:_ the boy said. _:Anyways, I'm just calling to let ya know I'm not dead.:_

"Yeah, kudos for that. Me and Jessica were getting worried yesterday." Alex explained. "So, how have you been doing?"

 _:Uh, well, uuuh…:_ the boy, for whatever reason, was struggling to respond properly for a while. _:Y-Y'know me dude, uuh, lonely! Yeah, lonely as ever!:_

"Bro, you okay?" Alex asked. "You sound weird. Is everything okay?"

 _:Yeah, yeah, it's all good. It's just uuh, I had a bit of trouble sleeping so I'm kind of, uuuh, unresponsive.:_ the boy explained. _:B-But nevermind that, how are_ you _doing?:_

"Dude, I've been pretty good." Alex replied. "Yesterday was a blast man, although I had some slight mishaps happening."

 _:Oh. What kinda mishaps?:_ the boy asked.

"A head-splitting headache and the delusion that I was going insane." Alex replied. "You know, the usual."

 _:That doesn't sound good. Go see a doctor or something.:_ the boy on the phone suggested.

"Nah, it's okay now, it's all over." Alex said. "No need for doctors. I haven't experienced it again, so I guess it was a one time thing."

' _Or three or four…'_ Alex thought to himself.

 _:Still though, doesn't it scare you?:_ the boy asked.

"Trust me, I _was_ scared, but as I sat down and thought about it, I saw that it was just something minor." Alex replied. "It's okay. I'll go see a doctor if it happens again, but for now, I'm good as I am."

 _:I sure hope so, man.:_ came the boy's reply. _:Hey, listen, I gotta go, but I'll call back when I can.:_

"Yeah, okay." Alex nodded. "Good to hear from ya, Kyle."

 _:Yeah, same man.:_ the boy, Kyle, replied. _:Hey, tell Jessica I've called if you see her, a'ight?:_

"Yeah, sure, no probs." Alex said.

 _:Great. A'ight, now I gotta go. Talk to ya some other time.:_ Kyle said.

"Yeah, sure. Bye." replied Alex as he hung up the phone.

He put the phone next to him on the couch and resumed watching TV. Luckily for him, the movie he wanted to watch was just starting, so he had something to distract himself with for the time being.

{[Scene Break]}

Half an hour passed since Alex sat down to watch TV. The movie he was watching was pretty funny to him, despite the fact he had seen it once or twice before. Besides, he liked to watch things over and over, as he always noticed something new that he had missed every previous time. It was one of the few fun activities that he had.

As the commercial break came, he heard light footsteps coming from the stairs leading to the second floor.

' _Huh, I guess they're done.'_ Alex thought to himself as he turned the TV's volume down. _'Took them a while.'_

Shortly after, Jessica entered the living room. Strangely enough, Kimiko wasn't with her.

"Hey, you're back." Alex greeted her. "What's going on?"

"Well, good news is, majority of the clothes I brought fit Kimiko." Jessica said as she sighed rather audibly for whatever reason. "I honestly didn't expect them to. I expected her to have a body quite different from mine."

"So, it's similar? How similar?" Alex asked.

"I'd say quite similar to an average female body." Jessica nodded. "She definitely has thinner torso, shoulders, waist, hips, legs, hands and all that, but even then, they're not _that much_ thinner. Ignoring the differences in her head, hands and feet, she could pass for a normal human girl."

"I… see." Alex nodded.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Jessica said as she put her finger up. "You will have to cut holes through the clothes."

"What?" Alex asked. "Why?"

"This weird purple horn thing on her chest is kind of getting in the way." Jessica explained. "I mean, it's pretty small, it's barely noticeable because it's between her boobs, but still, it makes the clothes look weird because they appear as if they're being pushed up by something."

"I mean… aren't they?" Alex asked as he shrugged.

"Yeah, but that looks… unnatural, kind of." Jessica replied. "Listen, she'll tell you which clothes will need a hole and which won't."

"Why can't you do it?" Alex asked. "I feel like I'll mess up and I'll ruin them."

"How hard can it be? You just make a slight hole for the spike to get through and that's it." Jessica said. "Nothing too fancy."

Alex didn't respond immediately. Instead he just deadpanned and stared at her for some time, before finally speaking up.

"Do you know who _I_ am?" he asked as he pointed at himself. "For real, Jess. You _know_ I _will_ fuck it up. It _always_ happens to me."

"I mean, yeah, but it's a small thing." Jessica shrugged. "You can't mess it up _that_ bad!"

Silence followed as Alex stared at Jessica's eyes. He rose one of his brows slightly, not saying a thing. Jessica stared back at him, remaining quiet just like him. Not long after, she broke the silence.

"Nevermind, you're right." she sighed. "You _will_ fuck up. Somehow."

"And it only took you four years to realize that." Alex said as he clapped lightly with a grin on his face. "Amazing!"

"Shut up, smartass." Jessica retorted as she sat on the sofa next to him. "I'll think of something. Might just do it on my own, too."

"Hey, as long as it works, you know?" Alex smirked. The smirk quickly left his face though. "Really though, if you can do it in my stead, that'd be awesome. I don't want to ruin the clothes you gave to Kimiko."

"*sigh* I know, I know." Jessica sighed. "Don't worry, I'll help out however I can."

"Thanks Jess, I really, _really_ appreciate this." Alex smiled as he nodded his head.

"Of course, don't worry about it." Jessica smiled back. "I don't know what affected me in such a way, but I want to make sure Kimiko is healthy and happy as much as you do."

"Yeah, I can relate." Alex nodded. "Speaking of which, where is Kimiko?"

"She wrote me a note and said she'll choose something to put on and then join us." Jessica explained. "I guess she wanted to pick something herself, or I guess she wanted to see if she can put the clothes on all by herself."

"What do you mean 'by herself'?" Alex asked. "She was wearing clothes when we found her, no?"

"Yeah, I thought she'd know how to put clothes on, but apparently, that was not the case." Jessica said.

"Really?" Alex rose a brow.

"Oddly enough, yes." Jessica nodded. "I guess it makes sense, somewhat. If the only clothes she has ever worn were this one dress we found her with, then it's no wonder she'd find difficulties with other types of clothes."

"I guess you're right." Alex nodded too. "I'm not sure if that's how it works, but hey, I don't have any better explanation."

Just as he said that, he heard Kimiko going down the stairs as well, meaning she was done. Seconds later, Kimiko entered the room, now dry and fully clothed. As she entered, Alex and Jessica both turned towards her.

The clothes she wore were much different from the dress that they found her with. Instead of her usual blue and white dress, she was now wearing a simple black mini dress, completed with a pair of black knee-high socks.

She stood right in front of the open door with her head slightly tilted down and with evident blush on her cheeks. Her hands were behind her back as she shook slightly. It was easy to guess that she was embarrassed.

"W-Whoa…" Alex silently said as he looked at her.

[W-Well, h-how do I l-look…?] Kimiko asked as she turned her head away from Alex and Jessica slightly all the while rubbing her right arm.

"Y-You look… amazing." Alex said as he kept staring at her, as if in a trance.

"Yeah, I would agree." Jessica nodded her head with her hand on her chin. "This dress does suit you pretty nicely, Kimiko."

Kimiko didn't respond. She just smiled slightly as her blush deepened.

"Hey, Jess." Alex turned towards Jessica. "You brought her underwear too, right?"

"Of course, I did." Jessica nodded. "What, you think I'd let her run around naked?"

"I mean, no, but I just wanted to make sure." Alex said as he turned back towards Kimiko who was still looking away. "I mean, this dress is rather… short."

"Don't worry, I've brought her enough. Even too much, I'd say." Jessica assured him.

"Good, that's good." Alex said. "Well then, that's one issue thrown out the window."

"Alright, good, how many more to go?" Jessica asked in a joking manner.

"Hella." Alex simply replied. "But one problem at a time, alright?"

[Problems?] Kimiko asked as her blush finally left her face.

"Yeah, you having clothes to wear was a solution to one of them." Alex nodded. "I told you while I was showing you around the house that if you were to be seen by anyone else, they'd freak out, right?"

[O-Oh… right…] Kimiko lowered her head.

"The problem with that is, until we can come up with a way to make you look human, it will be hard for you to leave the house, unless it's during the night." Alex explained. "But I'll think of something so that we can go outside during the day too."

"Oh, that's right!" Jessica suddenly exclaimed. "I might have a temporary solution!"

"You do?" Alex rose a brow at Jessica's statement.

"Yeah, I might just have what we need." she nodded as she looked at Alex. "See, my cousin's parents opened up a costume shop not too long ago."

[A costume… shop?] Kimiko asked.

"Yeah, it's basically a store that sells clothes, wigs, makeup and various other items so that you can dress up as someone else." Alex turned towards Kimiko as he did his best to explain.

"That's right." Jessica nodded. "In a sense, if we get some items from the costume shop, we should be able to dress you up and make you look like an average human. That way, it will be easier for you to go outside, whether during the day or the night."

[This sounds… nice.] Kimiko smiled softly.

"Having you all cooped up in here would be no good." Alex nodded his head. Afterwards, he turned towards Jessica. "Do you think they would just straight up give you a costume?"

"I suppose." Jessica shrugged. "I can always ask. Though, if they decide not to get me one, I'll just buy it, no biggie."

"Well, it's settled then!" Alex clapped his hands, turning back to Kimiko as he did. "One more problem is about to get solved. Good progress we're making today, guys!"

"What are the other problems, if I dare ask?" Jessica said.

"Well, let's see…" Alex said as he cupped his chin, turning towards nobody in particular. "We still have to find a way to introduce Kimiko to Kyle without either of them getting scared, we have to find out how and from where did she get here, we have to teach her about the way our world functions, we have to see if we fool the people around us that there's nothing extraordinary about her, I have to think of an excuse for when my parents come home-"

"Okay, enough." Jessica said as she put both of her hands in front of her, effectively shushing Alex. "I get it. We'll figure these out somehow."

[Who is Kyle?] Kimiko asked.

Alex turned towards her, only to realize she was still standing up. He scooted towards Jessica, making room for Kimiko on the couch.

"Sit down and I'll tell you." Alex said.

Kimiko did as told and sat down on the couch next to Alex. She took a brief look around the room, taking notice of the surroundings and the furniture. Lots of weird objects were present, many of which she saw briefly while looking through Alex's memories earlier. Despite that, she had no idea what they were or what their purpose was.

In fact, one of these weird objects was right in front of the couch she, Alex and Jessica were sitting on. A large, rectangular object that was, for whatever reason, flashing in different colors, displaying various images and emitting sounds. She had no idea what it was, nor what its function was, but it did look quite impressive.

"So, anyways, about Kyle…" Alex said, resuming the topic from earlier. Kimiko turned towards him. "Kyle is a friend of mine and Jessica. I would even say he's one of our best friends, if not _the best_."

"Indeed." Jessica nodded at Alex's statement. "Usually, the three of us go outside and do things together, but we haven't seen him in a few days, for one reason or another."

[Is he… a good person?] Kimiko asked, a faint feeling of fear evident in her question.

"Oh, he is awesome!" Alex nodded. "He's a bit shy when you meet him at first, but he's really a great guy once you get to know him well enough."

[Will he get scared if he sees… me?] Kimiko asked.

"Can't tell." Alex replied. "I mean, me and Jessica got scared when we first found you in the forest, no doubt, but the way things escalated we forgot about it and focused on getting you here and healing you."

"What did she say?" Jessica asked after hearing what Alex said.

"She's asking whether Kyle will get scared if he sees her or not." Alex explained.

"Ah, I see." Jessica nodded. "Well, as Alex said, both me and him got scared when we first saw you, but it's only natural. I don't know if Kyle will get scared, but I'm sure that if we explain the situation to him and give him some time, he'll come to the same conclusion as us and start treating you the same way we do."

Kimiko slowly nodded her head after hearing Jessica's explanation.

"Speaking of which, I did get to speak with Kyle earlier." Alex said.

"You did?!" Jessica exclaimed. "Is he okay? Why didn't he call? Is there anything wrong?"

"He's fine, at least he said so." Alex shrugged. "Apparently the electricity in his house got cut down, so ya boy's been unable to charge his phone. Now, I've no idea how did he call me, but hey, at least he found a way."

"His electricity got cut down?" Jessica rose her brow. "I thought he pays it regularly?"

"Yeah, I thought the same thing." Alex said. "He said some sort of outage has hit him. No idea what's going on. He was quick to hang up either way, he seemed to be in a hurry for some reason."

"I see." Jessica nodded. "Did he sound okay, though?"

"He did." Alex said. "I was going to ask him if he wants to hang out, but given the fact I still have no idea how we should introduce Kimiko to him, I decided to postpone this until we think of something."

"Good call." Jessica said as she pat Alex's shoulder slightly.

[I-Introduce me to h-him?] Kimiko's voice echoed through Alex's head. [B-But I thought that w-we can't do t-that yet…]

"Well, yeah, but we will have to at some point." he turned towards her. "We can't keep you in secret from him, you know. He's our friend, we go out and all that, he would find out about you sooner or later. Besides, I think it would be no good to try and hide you from him."

[B-But what if he g-gets scared a-and c-calls the ones t-that would c-capture me…?] Kimiko asked, her voice shaky.

"He wouldn't." Alex said seriously. "He would never do that. And even if he would, I wouldn't allow him to do it."

"What wouldn't he?" Jessica asked.

"Call the Feds if he ever saw Kimiko." Alex explained. "I'm just saying, even if he did see her and got scared, he would never call the police or anything. And even if he did, we wouldn't allow him, right, Jess?"

"Of course!" Jessica replied with a curt nod. "We wouldn't allow harm to come your way if we can prevent it. Even if Kyle gets scared, I guarantee you that he would never do something so rash."

"Listen, don't worry about these things, okay?" Alex said. "We'll come up with something. I'll even ease Kyle in if need be, but I'll never allow him to hurt you. Then again, knowing him, I doubt he'd try anyways."

[E-Even if you say that…] Kimiko looked down at the floor. [I-I'm not a human…]

"That's right, you aren't." Alex said as he put a hand on her naked shoulder. "But that doesn't mean anything. You're still a living, breathing being. You're to be treated with respect and care."

[B-But what if-] Kimiko tried to protest, only to be interrupted by Alex yet again.

"Listen, I promise you that no harm will come your way, be it from Kyle or anyone else close to us." Alex promised. "I'm no Pokémon, I have no extraordinary abilities or anything, but trust me, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."

It wasn't the first time hearing this sort of thing from Alex, but it still caught her by surprise. Her eyes widened and her cheeks became red once more, as she did her best to avoid eye contact.

She felt like she didn't have to at this point, but she still checked Alex's emotions and mind, only to determine whether he was being truthful or not. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't lying. He was, in fact, telling the truth. His intentions were genuine and it made Kimiko's eyes water once again.

[T-Thank you, A-Alex…] Kimiko said as she wiped a tear that was about to fall from her eye. A tear from joy, that is.

"You're welcome, as always." Alex smiled.

"What Alex said, I promise too." Jessica suddenly said. "You're our friend now, Kimiko. We don't leave friends behind. We look out for each other."

"Indeed." Alex nodded. "Kyle is our friend too, but that doesn't mean we'll let him do anything to you. Or anyone, for that matter."

[T-Thank you. B-Both of you.] Kimiko reached to wipe another tear.

"Hold on, I'll bring you some tissues." Alex said.

He then stood up from the couch and opened up one of the cabinets in the living room. Not even half a minute later, he sat down on the couch again, holding a pack of tissues, which he handed to Kimiko.

[Thank you…] she said as she pulled one of them out and began wiping her eyes.

"Please, calm down." Alex said. "Everything will be alright. I'll make sure of that."

' _Even then…'_ Alex thought to himself. _'I'm just a boy, I can't really do much if Feds do come here. No! I can't think like this! I will protect her, no matter what!'_

Silence filled the room for a while as Kimiko wiped away the tears from her eyes. Thankfully, said tears were caused from joy, rather than grief. She was smiling as she wiped her eyes, happy that she finally had someone she could truly trust.

It was weird for her, how fast these people accepted her and how fast they warmed up to her. It was odd how quickly she warmed up to them, too. She learned first-hand how awful some people can be. She swore not to get close to the humans ever again. And yet, here she was, in the home of one of them. A home which the human offered to share with her.

She checked Alex's mind and emotions, as well as Jessica's while both of them were in the bathroom, and she could tell that what they were saying was true. They truly cared about her, and in such a short span of time, too.

It was weird, but she was willing to accept it. She wanted to have someone who cares for her. She wanted someone who considered her friend. She wanted to feel safe.

She didn't want to be alone anymore.

Seeing as how Alex and Jessica were offering her solutions to these issues, she felt like there was nothing to do but accept them with open arms. Damned be her doubts of the humans. These two seemed to be exceptions.

She felt it within her – they weren't lying. They wouldn't hurt her.

They cared.

And this was all that mattered to her.

Alex, Kimiko and Jessica all sat silent with the TV serving as nothing more than background noise. All of them stared at random directions through the room. None of them was sure what to say or if to even say anything at all.

Despite that, the silence in the room was soon broken, as the TV's volume went up by itself. The commercials were interrupted and a tune began playing.

Alex, Jessica and Kimiko all looked up towards the TV, a bit startled by the sudden increase in volume. A picture of the Earth was displayed, with a text saying 'Breaking News' in front of it.

To Kimiko, this didn't mean anything. Alex and Jessica however, seemed alarmed.

"News? At this hour?" Jessica asked.

"Must be urgent." Alex murmured.

Kimiko just kept staring at the TV, not even sure what was she looking at.

Not even a second later, the picture disappeared and a young woman appeared on the screen. The young woman was dressed in a gray unbuttoned suit with a white shirt underneath. She was seated behind a desk with a small screen behind her, showing the same picture from earlier.

"We interrupt this program for some urgent news." the woman said the moment she appeared on the screen. "A 21 years old man was assaulted last night in Veritas, near the Northney Bluff mountain."

"Isn't that, two towns away from here?" Alex asked quietly.

"The man has several fractures and suffered from blood loss, but there is no danger for his life." the woman continued with the report. "Locals reported hearing eerie noises coming from the nearby woods, close to the whereabouts where the man was first found."

"Eerie noises?" Jessica asked quietly.

"The local police and investigators have been alerted of the attack, as well as the suspicious activity reported by several civilians." the woman added. "Nothing out of the ordinary has been found yet. The police recommend that everyone living close to or in the region of Veritas to not leave their homes at night, unless absolutely necessary."

"This can't be good…" Jessica commented.

"Furthermore, the police recommend not entering the forests at any time of the day or night, until the culprit has been found." the woman further explained. "Additional information about the incident will be reported in the later news issues at 7 and 10 PM."

"Well, at least they won't leave us in the dark with this." Alex said.

"For the time being, we encourage everyone to stay safe and alert for anything suspicious around them." the woman advised. "Have a good day, and stay safe."

With the last message, the woman disappeared from the screen and so did the room she was sitting in. Commercials began to play again, but no one paid any mind to them, as all three individuals sitting on the couch were all too focused on thinking about what they just heard.

"Never liked these guys' news." Alex commented. "But kudos for reporting that."

"Veritas… that's like… two towns away from here." Jessica tapped her chin with her finger. "Just as you said."

"It's right across the mountain actually, if you can cross it through the woods." Alex said. "But even if you go through the next town over, it's still not that far."

[What has happened to the person?] Kimiko asked as she handed the tissue pack back to Alex.

"Apparently, he was assaulted." Alex replied. "Police are investigating so that they can find out what happened to him."

[They don't know either?] Kimiko asked.

"No, they have no way of knowing." Alex shook his head. "Well, in some cases they do. But apparently that's not one of them."

Before Kimiko could ask anything else, Alex reached for the pens and paper sitting idly on the table and handed them to Kimiko.

"I don't mind answering your questions, but I think Jessica can explain things better." Alex smiled. "Or, at the very least, give her thoughts on the matter too."

Kimiko blushed and hastily took the papers, writing the word 'sorry' on one of them and handing it to Jessica.

"It's okay, Kimiko." Jessica said. "I know it's probably a lot easier to talk with your mind rather than writing it on paper."

Kimiko grabbed another piece of paper and quickly wrote something on it, before flipping it over and letting both Alex and Jessica read it.

"{Is the person the lady spoke about okay?}" the note that Kimiko wrote said.

"The woman said a couple of fractures and blood loss." Alex replied. "But there is no threat for his life, so he should be okay, yes."

"{What could have caused it?}" the second note said.

"Well, it could've been many things." Jessica replied this time. "It could've been a wild animal, a burglar who broke into his house or perhaps someone who could've attempted to kill him."

"{How will they find out what happened?}" the third note said.

"Well, there are lotsa things they can do to find out." Alex said. "They can look through the area the man was found, ask the people living in the town if they know anything, look for witnesses, patrol around, look around for DNA samples and all that. They can do many things to find out what happened."

"{Are any of us in danger?}" a fourth note.

"No, I'd say we aren't." Alex shook his head. "The whole thing happened in Veritas, which isn't that far from our town, but it will still take at least a day to come here by foot. But even if someone did come here, my house is located in a pretty secluded place. Not to mention, all my neighbors know me and will be alert if anything weird happens in here."

"{What if the one that did it crosses the mountain and comes here?}" a fifth note was shown.

"It's possible, but very unlikely." Alex replied. "The mountain is very high and difficult to climb. Unless it's some professional hiker, I doubt they'd be able to come here that way. But even if they did, my house still isn't easily accessible."

"{So, the house is safe?}" note number six.

"Indeed." Alex nodded. "My parents said that the house is somehow wired to a police network, so if there was any sign of a forced entry, they will dispatch somebody and they will come here in a minute or so."

"I didn't know that." Jessica commented.

"Yeah, me neither, I only found out about that a week or two ago." Alex said. "This job of theirs sure is something if it allows these sorts of connections."

"{So, we'll be okay?}" yet another note said.

"Absolutely." Alex nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry, Kimiko. Our house is the safest spot for you right now. It's the safest for all of us, actually. Until we find out exactly what's happened to the man and if we should be worried or not."

"Also, don't worry about break-ins either." Jessica added. "This guy here is a knife fanatic. Always walks around with a knife. If anyone was to enter, he would've stabbed them on the spot."

"Yup." Alex nodded. "Oh, that reminds me, are you able to use your powers now that you've restored some of your energy?"

"{I am.}" Kimiko nodded as she showed them the note.

"Then that means you can protect yourself if the worst comes to worst." Alex said. "Again, I highly doubt anyone will manage to get in our house, but in the worst-case scenario, you can defend yourself and knock them out."

"{I can also protect you!}" Kimiko wrote another note.

"Yes, you can." Alex nodded with a smile. "But don't feel obliged to do so. Watch out for yourself the most, okay?"

Kimiko nodded, but didn't write anything else.

For a while, she just stared at the weird object in front of her. She had no idea what was she even looking at, but it was definitely grabbing her attention. The vibrant colors that changed ever so rapidly, the sounds coming out from it, it all felt so unreal to her.

What was that thing anyways? What was its purpose? Why was it in this room? What was it showing?

She knew that Alex and Jessica had the answers to these questions, and while she could easily get them from Alex simply by looking through his mind, she didn't want to risk hurting him in any way, shape or form.

As for Jessica, she could try to probe in her mind like she did with Alex, but knowing that their minds were not connected, she figured it would be a bit harder to do it, even though she had done the same thing before when her mother was teaching her.

Even then, she didn't want to risk that either, since she already did it once today and was not sure if it would be safe to do it twice in a day. So instead, she opted for her second option.

She grabbed yet another piece of paper and a pen and wrote another message. Once she was done, she put the pen down and poked Alex gently.

"Hm?" Alex hummed as he turned towards her. "What is it?"

In response, Kimiko showed him what she had just written while pointing towards the weird, and rather large, object.

"{What is this?}" the note Kimiko held said.

"Oh, that?" Alex asked as he pointed towards it as well, receiving a nod from Kimiko. "This is a TV. It's for uuuh, well, entertainment."

"{Why was this lady in it? Was she trapped?}" another note said.

Reading this, Alex chuckled lightly while Jessica just let out a smile, trying hard not to giggle as well. Seeing their reactions, Kimiko blushed, embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry." Alex said as he stopped giggling. "It wasn't that I was laughing at you. Your question was just adorable."

Kimiko blushed harder.

"But to answer, no, she isn't trapped _in_ the TV." Alex said. "See, she is actually very, very far away from us. She is in a special large room where lots of people use devices, called cameras, to create a moving image of the woman. The image is then sent to our TV right here and we watch her from a very large distance without her being close to us."

Kimiko blinked rapidly over and over. The explanation Alex gave her confused her, so she was not sure how to react.

Seeing this, Jessica decided to step in and see if she can help make it more understandable.

"Uuuh, in simpler terms, Kimiko, the woman is just a moving picture in the TV." Jessica said. "She isn't living inside it or anything. She has a home, just like us. People just, uuh, make it so we can see her from very far away, as Alex said."

Jessica's explanation seemed to work a bit better than Alex's, because Kimiko slowly nodded her head, albeit the fact confusion was still evident on her face. Still, she nodded and wrote another note.

"{Why would people want to watch other people through the TV?}" the note said.

"Well, there are various reasons." Jessica tapped her chin with a finger. "Some people are watched because they inform us about things that have happened or are currently happening in the world. Others are watched because they are put in a comedic or scary situation and they have to find their way out of the situation in a certain way."

"{But are people having fun with this?}" Kimiko asked with another note.

"Most of the time, yes." Jessica nodded. "Many people find it entertaining to watch people and the funny situations they find themselves in."

Kimiko felt like any further questions would just confuse her, so she just nodded, content with Alex and Jessica's answers for the time being.

Truth be told, she thought it was kind of creepy that people would enjoy watching other people in such a way, but she tried to shrug it off as something that was, apparently, normal among the humans.

For now, she decided to just sit comfortably and watch the TV and whatever it had to show. Even though she didn't understand any of the images that were shown on it, she knew that she would eventually learn about them, as long as Alex was okay with her assimilating his memories.

Now that she was thinking about it, she never actually asked if he was okay with it. Perhaps, now was the time for that.

[Alex, c-can I ask you something?] Kimiko's voice once again echoed through Alex's mind.

Just as he was about to answer, she once again spoke in his mind, effectively silencing him before he could even speak up.

[P-Please, I want to speak in private with you.] Kimiko said. [Do not reply verbally. Just… t-think about the answer and I'll be able to read it. C-Can you do that?]

Alex remained silent for a while, both verbally and mentally. Eventually, however, Kimiko heard his thoughts.

' _W-Will this work?'_ he thought to himself, unsure whether or not Kimiko was hearing him.

[Yes! Yes, I can hear you!] Kimiko said as she smiled.

' _Oh, cool. I guess I can talk to you without moving my mouth.'_ Alex said. _'Does that make me a Psychic too?'_

[W-Well, not really, it's still only me that can hear you…] Kimiko replied. [A-Anyway, I just wanted to a-ask you something…]

' _Oh, of course.'_ Alex said. _'I just hope I can answer without confusing you, though.'_

[I-I'm sure you can.] Kimiko replied.

' _Okay, ask me then.'_ Alex beckoned.

[I-It's about me assimilating your memories and everything that you have learned…] Kimiko said. [I-I never asked you if I could-]

' _I did tell you a bit earlier that we will continue to do these sessions until you get all the knowledge that you need, didn't I?'_ Alex interrupted her. _'There is no need to ask me anything. I stand firmly behind what I said and I do not intend on backing down on my words.'_

[S-So, that means…] Kimiko asked once more, just to be sure.

' _As I already told you, whether there are risks or not, I want to proceed with it.'_ Alex nodded. _'As long as you're fine with getting knowledge from me, that's all that matters. I don't mind helping you out.'_

[I-I see.] Kimiko nodded slowly as well. [T-Thank you so much, Alex.]

' _Again, you're welcome.'_ Alex replied. _'Though, keep in mind that there are many things that I don't know or haven't learned. If you need to know something more, then you can always ask Jessica for help. Especially if it's for some girl matters.'_

[Girl matters?] Kimiko slightly tilted her head.

' _Yeah, I'm talking about stuff like clothes and matching outfits and whatnot.'_ Alex attempted to explain, only to realize that he himself had no idea what was he even talking about. _'Guess I can't explain it really well. It basically refers to topics and subjects that are more likely to be discussed or thought about by girls.'_

[Do you mind if I ask Jessica what does that mean?] Kimiko asked.

' _No, of course not.'_ Alex shook his head. _'In fact, let me ask her myself.'_

Alex then turned towards Jessica who was staring absentmindedly at a random spot in the room. She seemed to be thinking about something, but Alex had no way of knowing what.

"Hey, Jess." Alex called out to her, snapping her out of her trance and making her look towards him. "Listen, can I ask something of you?"

"Of course." Jessica nodded. "What's up?"

"Well, me and Kimiko were talking about something just now and I unintentionally brought up the fact that if there are any 'girl matters' that she has to attend to, she can discuss them with you." Alex explained. "See, problem is I cannot explain what girl matters even are…"

Jessica hit her forehead with her palm before sighing audibly.

"You are a complete retard." she said as she slowly brought her hand down. "Why do you mention these absurd things when you can't even explain them?"

"My IQ is sub-par and I try too hard to sound intelligent." Alex replied bluntly. "Next question."

"Right, okay, I know what you want from me now." Jessica deadpanned before turning towards Kimiko. "Anyways, Kimiko, to explain it a bit more simply, 'girl matters' mean subjects who are typically discussed among girls only."

Kimiko looked at her with a questioning gaze, since Alex had told her the same thing.

"For example, all the clothes that I brought you." Jessica continued. "Usually, we girls pay a lot of attention to the way we dress and always try to pick out the best clothes that are the most beautiful among all."

Kimiko slowly nodded.

"To prove my point – why did you pick out the minidress with these thigh high socks?" Jessica asked her.

Kimiko reached for yet another piece of paper and quickly wrote her answer on it.

"{I thought they looked good on me.}" the note said.

"Exactly." Jessica smiled and nodded. "You were looking for the best one. Usually, if a girl cannot decide, she asks for help from her girlfriends and make them help her decide on what to wear in order to look good. This is one example of 'girl matters'."

Kimiko nodded once more.

"Other 'girl matters' can be anything related to shopping, sleepovers, gossiping, discussing boys and other things." Jessica further explained. "These are usually things that boys don't seem too interested in, or at least not all of them, which makes it difficult to discuss with them."

The Gardevoir nodded yet again with her eyes flashing for a brief second, as if realization had finally struck her.

"Do you get what I'm trying to explain?" Jessica asked, receiving an answer shortly after.

"{Yes, I think I do. 'Girl matters' are topics that usually girls seem to have bigger interest in. They are hard to discuss with boys.}" the note that served as a response said.

"Indeed!" Jessica clapped her hands happily. "See, you got it! I'm so proud!"

Kimiko jumped up slightly, blinking rapidly as her cheeks reddened.

"As Alex said, you are free to ask me about anything and everything that concerns you. I'll be always glad to help when I can." Jessica said.

Just as she said that, Alex's phone rang once more, much to his surprise. Hearing the unfamiliar sound, Kimiko flinched and jumped up slightly, looking around her in alert.

"Hey, hey, don't worry." Alex said as he tried to calm her down. "It's just my phone. Someone is calling me."

Alex then grabbed the phone sitting near him. Kimiko backed away a bit further when she saw Alex grabbing it, but calmed down upon realizing that it was the same grey object that Alex held in his hand after she had eaten all the fruits that he had provided for her. In his words, the device was safe, so that did put her at ease somewhat.

Alex swiped his finger across the screen, answering the call and shutting down the tune that was playing from it.

"…Hello?" Alex said upon picking up the call.

 _:Alex! Thank God!:_ a feminine voice was heard from the phone. _:At least you haven't lent your phone to Satan!:_

"Uh, what?" Alex asked.

 _:Doesn't matter!:_ the girl yelled out in response. _:Listen, can you contact Jessica somehow?!:_

"Who is this?" Alex asked.

 _:Don't you recognize me?!:_ the girl yelled out.

"Well, no?" Alex scratched the back of his head. "Do you have the wrong number…?"

 _:It's Kylie!:_ the girl exclaimed. _:Kylie Reynolds!:_

"Oh, Kylie!" Alex said as realization struck him. "Sorry, I really couldn't recognize your voice. You seem upset, what's wrong?"

 _:Doesn't matter!:_ the girl, Kylie, replied. _:Listen, do you know where Jessica is? I've called her phone 5 times and she still doesn't respond!:_

Alex then turned towards Jessica slowly. Without replying to Kylie, he brought his phone in front of Jessica's face.

"It's for you." he simply said.

Jessica took the phone and put it on her ear before responding.

"Hello?" she asked.

 _:Jessica! You're fine!:_ Kylie yelled out, making Jessica flinch and move the phone away from her ear momentarily. Several seconds later, she put it on her ear again.

"Ouch." Jessica said. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I've been at Alex's place since the morning."

 _:Thank god! I was starting to get really worried!:_ Kylie said. _:I've been calling your phone for a while now, but no response came and the operator told me it's off!:_

"Is it?" Jessica asked before pulling out her own phone with her free hand. She attempted to power it on, only to realize that it was out of battery. "Yeah, it is. Sorry, I have no idea when the battery ran out."

 _:That's fine.:_ Kylie replied, breathing out a sigh of relief. _:Listen, can you leave Alex for a bit and come over? I'm in a bit of a… bad situation.:_

Jessica glanced towards Kimiko, who was looking at her and Alex with a questioning gaze.

"Uuuh, can it wait? I'm in a bit of a situation on my own…"

 _:It's urgent!:_ Kylie suddenly yelled out. _:If I didn't need you, I wouldn't have called all these people to get to you! Please Jess, I need you right now!:_

"Okay, I understand. Give me a second…" Jessica said and then momentarily put the phone down, before she turned towards Kimiko and Alex once more.

"Well, what's wrong?" Alex asked.

"She said that she has an emergency." Jessica said. "She wants me to go, but I don't really want to leave you alone with Kimiko."

"Why not?" Alex asked. "Don't think me and her can handle ourselves?"

"I just don't want to go back on my word." Jessica said. "I promised Kimiko that both you and I will be here when she needs us, so…"

"Hmm, okay, how about this…" Alex said as he turned towards Kimiko. "Kimiko, do you mind if Jessica leaves us alone for a bit?"

Kimiko jumped up slightly.

[Why?] she asked in Alex's head.

"A friend of ours, named Kylie, needs Jessica's help with something." Alex explained. "Apparently, it's urgent, so she needs Jessica to go to her home."

[Will she… come back?] Kimiko asked, as if afraid of the answer.

"Of course, she will." Alex nodded. "We're her friends, after all. Besides, she did promise that she will be with you, didn't she?"

Kimiko nodded once more.

"Then, what do you say?" Alex asked. "Do you mind if she goes to Kylie's house for a bit?"

Kimiko shook her head as she looked towards Jessica. Jessica sighed and picked the phone up once more.

"Okay, I'll be with you shortly." Jessica said. "You're home, yes? Stay there."

 _:Thanks, Jess! You're saving my life!:_ Kylie said happily. _:I'll be waiting at home.:_

"Okay, I'm coming soon." Jessica nodded. "Bye for now."

 _:Oh, say thanks to Alex for me!:_ Kylie said. _:Bye, I'll be waiting!:_

With that, Kylie hung up the phone. Jessica sighed audibly and handed back Alex's phone.

"Kylie says thanks." Jessica said as she stood up from the couch and stretched lightly.

"You don't sound too thrilled." Alex noted. "Something wrong?"

"Not really, I just wonder what has she gotten herself into." Jessica sighed again. "We were together the whole night. Knowing her, she probably went to Martin after I left. Again."

"She still going after him?" Alex asked. "Damn, I thought she would've learned by now."

"I can't tell. I hope she isn't." Jessica shrugged. "In any case, she wants me to go and if I don't, I'll have her whining to me through her friends. I'd rather spare myself from that."

"Fair enough." Alex nodded. "So, want me to call you a taxi?"

"No, I'll walk. I need to move some anyways." Jessica shook her head. "You just stay here and keep Kimiko company."

"Don't worry, I wasn't thinking of going anywhere anyways." Alex responded. "You just keep yourself safe, alright? The earlier news report still has me a bit alarmed…"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Jessica replied as she began walking towards the door. "Besides, it's light outside, no one would dare to attack."

"You can't be certain." Alex said. "But yeah, I guess you're right. Still, be on alert."

"Of course, of course." Jessica responded as she swayed her hand. "Well then, I'll be off. I'll see you two hopefully later."

"Sure, bye Jess." Alex waved at her.

"{Goodbye.}" Kimiko held a note as she also waved at Jessica.

"I'll try to be back soon, Kimiko." Jessica smiled. "Bye for now."

With that, Jessica left the living room through the door. Not too long after, the opening and closing of the main door to the house was heard, meaning that Jessica left the house.

"Well, it looks like it's just the two of us now, Kimiko." Alex said as he looked towards her. "So, what do you want to do?"

[Hmmmm…] Kimiko hummed within Alex's head. [I don't know what kind of activities we can do in your house.]

"Well, there's not really much to do." Alex said. "We can watch TV, play video games, read books, listen to music…"

[This 'TV'… what else can be seen on it?] Kimiko asked.

"Well, there are various of things." Alex said. "There is news, movies, entertainment programs, cartoons, documentaries and all that."

[C-Can we watch TV?] Kimiko asked, a bit timid.

"Of course." Alex smiled. "It's not like I had anything better in mind. What do you want to watch?"

[Um, w-whatever you want.] Kimiko replied. [I don't really know what is there to see, s-so…]

"Oh! Of course, of course." Alex nodded. "I'm sorry, I forgot that you haven't watched these before."

[It's okay.] Kimiko shook her head.

"Hmm, well, there was this movie I was watching while you and Jess were upstairs." Alex explained. "It's a funny one, though I don't know if you will like it. You wanna give it a chance?"

[Y-Yes.] Kimiko nodded.

"Alright then." Alex said as he re-adjusted himself on the couch and leaned backwards.

[What are you doing?] Kimiko asked as she watched him.

"Adjusting myself." Alex replied. "It's way more comfortable to sit that way. Go ahead, try it."

Kimiko did as told and copied the same thing Alex did, leaning her back on the pillow placed behind her.

[I-It's so… soft.] Kimiko said as she felt the pillow against her back.

"Right?" Alex said. "They're like cotton, it's amazing."

Just as both him and Kimiko got comfortable, the commercial break that was playing up until now finally ended and the movie that Alex was previously watching began playing once more.

Alex and Kimiko both watched the movie with neither of them making a noise. Alex kept silent because he didn't want to distract Kimiko and keep her from hearing what was being said. Kimiko kept silent because the TV and all that was displayed on it was interesting and new to her and she didn't want to miss out on anything shown.

The movie kept going and all the happenings kept playing out, usually leading up to misunderstandings and funny situations at which Alex did his best to contain his laughter. Kimiko also found them funny, but she just kept on staring and watching, trying to fit all the information in.

[Alex.] Kimiko suddenly called out to him.

"What is it?" he asked as he turned towards her.

[Why did the water around this man become darker?] Kimiko asked, talking about a scene that just played out in the movie.

Alex chuckled lightly, knowing that the explanation would not be just tough, but also kind of disgusting.

Still, he was ready for it. He was ready to answer any and all questions that Kimiko had to the best of his ability.

Though, with questions like that, one thing was certain – neither of them would be bored.

Alex smiled and began his attempt at explaining.

* * *

{[Scene End]}

 **Greetings again, everyone!**

 **Allow me to once more apologize for taking so long** _ **yet again**_ **.**

 **I've been absent from this site, as well as many more that I use to frequent for quite some time now due to various of factors. I do have a good reason for my absence, though.**

 **See, during the last few days of school, I've accumulated lots of stress. I did my best to maximize my grades and finish tests that I was unable to take earlier in the year due to various of reasons. Add to all this the preparations I had to make for my trip to Germany as well as some other exams and you basically had me experiencing an overload.**

 **School eventually ended, but I had a trip to Germany as a part of a school project and while I enjoyed it greatly, it did stop me from making and posting pretty much anything. Still, I did make many memories from there, as well as experience, so I'm really happy with that, despite my absence.**

 **Regardless of all that, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! If you did, please make sure to review and let me know what you thought of the chapter and/or of the story so far as a whole! I always appreciate and read reviews! Likewise, if you** _ **really**_ **enjoy the story thus far, you can Fav/Follow as well, this is even more appreciated!**

 **An enormous 'Thank You!' to Agent of the Divine One for Beta reading my chapter! Thank you for your great work!**

 **Please let me know if you've spotted any typos or any other kind of grammatical errors in the chapter! You help me greatly by doing so!**

' _ **Stay awesome!'**_

 **\- Xeroz/Xerozzuro**


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